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At Sullivan hs in Rogers Park, the principal has to choose between hiring a trauma counselor and a literacy coach because of budget constraints.
Critics point the finger at Chicago's school budget formula. Now, it could be changed.
My latest: http://bit.ly/38tdjS6
#thread
Critics point the finger at Chicago's school budget formula. Now, it could be changed.
My latest: http://bit.ly/38tdjS6
#thread
Under a five-year-old formula, about 60% of a typical school’s district grant is based on how many students it has. In fiscal year 2020, that was an average of nearly $4,500 per student.
But that means schools with students who need more support get the same $$$ amount as schools where fewer students live in poverty, or where parents have the time and connections to fundraise to bring in extra money.
Critics say Chicago’s current way of budgeting locks schools into a downward spiral. As schools lose enrollment, they get less money, which then dooms non-core classes and extracurricular programs, which further erodes enrollment, in turn shrinking the budget even more.
A September report from Roosevelt University found that the schools with the smallest budgets were concentrated in black neighborhoods that had seen precipitous population declines, contributing to racial inequality across the district. http://bit.ly/2LLdD53
Addressing school funding was a key promise from Lori Lightfoot before she became mayor. Now for the first time, there is a date by which the budget formula could be reconsidered. And a plan for community engagement on those changes is imminent.
Here are the other stories in the #LensonLightfoot series following the promises made by the mayor, and what changes actually happen on the ground.
A slow start on environmental campaign promises: http://bit.ly/2RKaqWT
A slow start on environmental campaign promises: http://bit.ly/2RKaqWT
A work in progress on efforts to scale back aldermanic prerogative: http://bit.ly/2PDYL9o
