With record temperatures soaring in the 90’s, hundreds of thousands of students on Monday, August 26 went back to class to start the new year in Chicago Public Schools.
Teachers and administrators in Illinois’ largest school district scrapped outdoor activities as students stayed inside classrooms and gymnasiums after a mild summer.
Outside Logan Square’s McAuliffe Elementary School Monday morning, Mayor Brandon Johnson rang a ceremonial bell. He then ended the first day of school at George Washington High School on the city’s Far South Side with high-fives and handshakes.
Amid the sweltering temperatures, CPS for the fourth year in a row experienced a driver shortage. Parents whose children attend selective enrollment and magnet schools were told to remain on standby in case their child needs a ride to school.
CPS began its new school year with a $500 million deficit as post-COVID federal funding is close to ending.
Johnson said the state of Illinois owes the city of Chicago $1.6 billion.
A few years ago, Illinois lawmakers passed a law that gave each school district in the state a 10-year path to become fully funded. The mayor wants the remaining $1.1 billion owed to CPS in advance. Springfield said “no.”
CPS’ deficit has created a strained relationship between the mayor and school CEO Pedro Martinez. Johnson reportedly seeks to oust Martinez, who was appointed by Lori Lightfoot in 2021.
Martinez reportedly turned down Johnson’s idea to take out a short-term high-interest loan to help pay for a new teachers’ contract.
“I don’t care if it’s a short-term or a long-term. I don’t care if it’s taxing the rich or getting it back from the banks. Send the money to the Chicago Public Schools,” said Stacy Davis Gates, president of the CTU.
In a statement Tuesday, August 27, CPS said, “Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is one of many school districts around the country that in recent years has experienced a shortage of individuals interested in becoming school bus drivers. This national shortage has forced CPS to prioritize yellow bus transportation for our most vulnerable students – our qualifying students with disabilities and Students in Temporary Living Situations (STLS), two demographic groups that are also both growing in size and thus increasing the requests for transportation. In fact, the District has tracked 10,695 transportation requests this year for Students with Disabilities, a 50 percent increase from 7,125 requests last year.”
Educators with the Chicago Teachers Union are working without a new contract. The school district and CTU have been in contract talks since April.
CPS Teachers are demanding 9 percent raises, and resources like librarians and after-school sports for every school.
Martinez remains optimistic about coming to a new agreement. He said the district has the lowest turnout rate ever, with over 600 more teachers this year.
