From: "M. Soto" <sender@edline.net> Date: June 19, 2013, 4:21:30 PM CDT To: Subject: **Info from WY: Letter from Dr. Joyce D. Kenner Reply-To: "M. Soto" <msoto@cps.edu> Dear Parents, Guardians, Students, and Faculty,
As some of you may know, the Chicago Public Schools released preliminary school budgets last Friday. Our Local School Council voted unanimously yesterday to reject the proposed budget by the administration because it does not adequately fund our school to maintain the standard of excellence for which we are known. Our budget was cut by just over 1.1 million dollars. By restructuring the Leadership Team, eliminating substitute teachers, not filling an Art position due to retirement, cutting a security position and having department chairpersons take on additional classes and/or instructional support duties, we were able to reduce the deficit to just under $800,000. While we are doing everything we can to limit the impact to the learning environment, there will be cuts to our teaching faculty and the services we have been able to previously provide for our students.
Due to the budget cuts the following modifications are being recommended:
1) The Writing Center is eliminated.
2) All students will take six classes. We are exploring the feasibility of charging a $500 class fee for students who want to take a seventh class and a scholarship fund for students who receive fee waivers. We would use the fee money to “buy back” teachers to teach additional classes.
3) Reducing the number of world languages taught at our school.
4) Reducing faculty/staff positions by 8.5.
5) Cutting ACT Prep classes to before and after school only.
6) Streamlining our non-core classes which will reduce the number of electives offered in non-core areas such as business, world language, art, music, etc.
In addition to the impact on our instructional budget, our operations budget has also been reduced. It is my sincere hope that the Board of Education will find a way to increase our instructional budget so that we will not be forced to take these drastic measures. Conversations with staff/faculty that are in jeopardy of losing their jobs were painful. Like in years past, I am hopeful over the summer our budgets will reflect additional revenue and we will be able to restore our complete workforce.
Sincerely,
Joyce D. Kenner Principal |