Posted on 07/15/2025 9:18:04 PM PDT by george76
There’s an old saying that goes, something that can’t go on forever won’t.
Chicago is now in the early stages of learning that this applies to their public school system. They’re facing a massive budget deficit of $734 million and are on pace to lay off almost 1,500 teachers and staffers.
Perhaps Mayor Brandon Johnson should have been more focused on delivering the services that American citizen taxpayers paid for and less on the needs of illegal immigrants and Chicago’s ‘sanctuary city’ status.
...
Chicago Public Schools parents and community members sounded off on Monday, three days after the district announced more than 1,400 layoffs, including teachers, classroom assistants and security officers.
The first of five community listening sessions took place at Dyett High School, allowing parents a chance to provide input on the budgetary process following layoffs.
The district’s chief budget officer painted a grim picture of where Chicago schools stand.
“We are facing a budget deficit of $734 million for the 2025-2026 budget. In plainest terms, we are $734 million short of of potential expenses next year,” said Michael Sitkowski, CPS chief budget officer.
Feedback from the roundtable discussions is expected to help district officials make major budgetary decisions.
“For us to pass a balanced budget, this means we need to identify $734 million of additional resources or cost reductions,” he said.
So, those in attendance got to work. Parents, teachers, and even students, took a serious look at their biggest concerns.
This was entirely predictable, wasn’t it?
...
If people in New York City want a glimpse of their future under a Mayor Zohran Mamdani administration, they need look no further than Chicago.
If you get rid of 1500 teachers, surely you can get rid of some principals and administrators as well.
What they need to do is have ICE show up and grab every illegal and deport them. Parents can join them on the return trip.
“For us to pass a balanced budget, this means we need to identify $734 million of additional resources or cost reductions,” he (Michael Sitkowski, CPS chief budget officer) said.
At least he passed Economics 101.
To be fair:
If you have a classroom filled with kids who have no father at home and a mom who had them when she was not much older than they are, who didn’t get anything to eat for breakfast, won’t get a decent meal when they get home, don’t have the right clothes, and played video games or ball all night because no one made them do their homework, you can be a great teacher and not make much headway.
But not one administrator.
—
That was my first thought.
This is typical Democrat tactic. Go for the ones that the taxpayers want (teachers and security) but ignore where the real cost is Administration.
CPS has more active retirees getting pensions and healthcare than active employees, and many of them relocate out of state to escape Chicago's high taxes, a taxpayer double whammy. CPS retirees typically live into their 90s, well above average, and keep voting Demonrat well beyond that.
what! no covid money left after vacation?
My youngest child is 46
During the very few years she attended a public elementary school, she sometimes brought home notes from teachers which would include miss-spelled words and bad grammar...
I would use a red pen and correct the notes and send them back, explaining that my first written language was English and requesting that it be used in any future communique to me, the child’s parent...
I never addressed and answered the subject of the illiterate notes...
I homeschooled her during most of her early education and now she holds a master’s degree...
I”d like to see the demographics of the teachers and administration. I’m guessing it would be the same as in some African nations.
Good intentions go oft astray.
Mother was a social worker at the time the laws changed to let pregnant daughters get their own grants and move out of their homes into homes of their own. Suddenly ALL the rebellious teenagers wanted to get pregnant and become independent of their home restrictions. And the new law stopped the fathers from living with the mothers, so the couples quickly became estranged and relationships broken. And the era of fatherless children began. Unintended consequences.
And once grants were given out, the interest groups went political to keep the money rolling. Cutting funds this year is still going to be tough.
I took my first master’s in elementary education just in case I had children so I could homeschool. Never did, but used it to teach adults at work in various ways. Keeping students amused to keep them listening doesn’t stop being necessary when they graduate college. Clapping for your daughter.
As for teacher mistakes, it was policy before it became necessary to insulate the idiot teachers from repercussions. I worked with some wonderful editors on short stories and one of them was a high school English teacher at one of the top NYC schools. What she let pass horrified me. But she explained that she was expected to do that and to keep their grades high. On the other hand, she was naturally brilliant and brought Shakespeare into the inner city to a group of students that were devoted to her. They protected her in their neighborhood and she adored them.
Hey, we non-Chicago’ns. Should we bail them out?
“Heck the Superintendents and Principals will probably get raises.”
Anyone know if some of these bloated positions are likely union jobs too?
This problem has been in the making for years. Johnson and Cook County can no longer keep raising property taxes, the school system has to cut back. You can blame past Teacher’s Union President Karen Lewis for much of this.
Another example that public employees are not guaranteed life long jobs.
They could fire and layoff 60% or more of the administration and the system would run fine and that alone might balance the budget.
“Democrats are incapable of self governance.”
Democrats are the perfect example of the dog chasing the car and finally catching it. Then wondering, what’s next?
Aren’t public school teachers’ union contracts just wonderful? /sarc
And yet Mayor Conehead and his CTU patrons refuse to even consider underutilized closing schools, some of which have less than 50 students in them.
It's a start.
bttt
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