LITTLE VILLAGE — A Little Village principal has resigned, joining the more than 50 CPS principals who have resigned or retired in 2016.
Maria Saucedo Academy Principal Isamar Vargas Colón has resigned from the school, according to an email sent to teachers Friday. The principal notified the Saucedo Local School Council Friday, a teacher said.
Colón, who served at the school for five years, is leaving the school to take a position at another school district, she wrote.
"Today I inform you that I accepted a position at another school district, this was not an easy decision but I take with me memories and experiences that empowered me to be a better leader and a better person," Colón writes. "I leave with great pride that I was able to work next to amazing teachers that always go above and beyond."
Colón could not be immediately reached for comment on Friday.
Sarah Chambers, a Saucedo special education teacher who also serves on the Chicago Teachers Union executive board, said that the school's teachers are worried that the CPS network chief will name an outside interim principal before the local school council takes an official vote to name a new principal.
Instead, Saucedo teachers want current Assistant Principal Charlie McSpadden named to the interim principal post "since he knows our school community," Chambers said.
Saucedo teachers and parents are still fighting a CPS' plan to co-locate John Spry High School students to the Saucedo building.
"It should be a decision by the teachers, parents and community, not the network," Chambers said.
Earlier this month, principals at Norwood Park Elementary, Lake View High School and Lane Tech College Prep also resigned from CPS, prompting fear among parents of a mass exodus of city principals to the suburbs. In a statement, CPS said earlier this month that 33 principals have resigned and 21 retired this year.
Officials have warned principals to expect budget cuts of about 26 percent as city leaders continue to push state lawmakers to change the way schools are funded and close CPS' $1 billion budget deficit.
Top Chicago Public Schools officials have blamed unequal state education funding for its threatened exodus of principals and teachers.
"Our principals and teachers are leaving for jobs where their district doesn't have to take hundreds of millions of dollars out of the classroom to fund their pensions — and this is one of the reasons we are fighting so hard for equitable funding," CPS Chief Education Officer Janice Jackson said this month.
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