PORTAGE PARK — The latest round of Chicago Public Schools budget cuts mean that Dever Elementary in Dunning and Smyser Elementary in Portage Park each lost one teacher this week, according to data released by Chicago Public Schools officials.
In addition, one member of the staff at Reinberg Elementary in Portage Park and one staff member from Hitch Elementary in Gladstone Park were laid off as part of job losses prompted by a 3.5 percent drop in CPS enrollment between the 2015-16 school year and the 2016-17 school year.
Smyser Elementary Principal Jerry Travlos told parents in an email this week that a 1.5 percent drop in the Portage Park school's enrollment "along with changes in personnel costs" meant the school's final budget was $102,575 less than anticipated.
"The goal was to minimize the impacts on teaching/learning, to maintain lower class sizes where possible and to sustain funding for diverse/English learners," Travlos said, adding that he was forced to eliminate a reading specialist position.
At Dever Elementary in Dunning, Principal Rita Ortiz was also forced to lay off a teacher, although she did not specify in a message to parents on the school's website what position would be eliminated.
In all, Dever saw its budget cut approximately $213,000 because of a 4.5 percent drop in enrollment, Ortiz said.
Because of the cuts, Dever "will be operating on a minimal amount of money for the remainder of the school year," Ortiz told parents.
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Because the district funds schools based on the number of students they have, schools where enrollment dropped also suffered budget cuts.
CPS officials laid off 134 teachers and 103 members of schools' support staffs, CPS officials said Tuesday.
A spokeswoman for the Chicago Teachers Union said Monday that the layoffs make a strike, perhaps as early as Oct. 11, more likely.
During the last 10 years, enrollment has fallen 6.8 percent at public schools in Chicago, with half of that drop coming since September 2015, according to CPS enrollment data.
The layoffs announced this week are the second round of job cuts at schools this year. In August, nearly 1,000 teachers and support staff positions were eliminated.
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