Even as CPS opens more new schools, children with special needs have a tougher time finding options. Placements in private therapeutic schools are scarce, and some charters are reluctant to enroll them.
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Huberman sounds school budget alarm; confirms 500 more layoffs
By: Sarah Karp / February 25, 2010
No stranger to doomsday budget predictions, CEO Ron Huberman issued a
big one Thursday, saying that the state’s huge shortfall announced
Wednesday will add to the district’s deficit, bringing it to nearly a
billion dollars next school year.
No stranger to doomsday budget predictions, CEO Ron Huberman issued a big one Thursday, saying that the state’s huge shortfall announced Wednesday will trickle down to the district’s deficit, bringing it to nearly a billion dollars next school year.
To prove that they are “fiscally responsible,” CPS officials said will layoff 500 more central office and citywide staff over the next two weeks and force those remaining to take an additional three weeks unpaid leave, bringing their furlough days to more than a month. District officials refused to say which positions were going to be cut as they haven’t been finalized and the staff not yet informed.
In return, Huberman wants state lawmakers to provide more money, either by prioritizing current funds or passing a tax increase. He also wants legislators to alter the law that specifies what CPS must pay into the teachers' pension fund. This year's obligation is $500-plus million. Huberman several changes could reduce that amount by $300 million.
CPS' pension obligation is a perennial issue, but in the past the teachers' union has opposed legislative changes because they worry about keeping the pension solvent.
Huberman hopes it will be different this year. He called on the union to support the district's efforts at reducing the pension obligation. He also wants the teachers’ union to give up the 4 percent pay raises they negotiated in the last collective bargaining agreement.
But this will be an incredibly difficult year to get more money or concessions from state lawmakers or Chicago union leaders, all in the midst of running for re-election.
Huberman said he will be heading down to Springfield as early as next week to press his point. But Gov. Pat Quinn and House Speaker Mike Madigan have already said they aren’t going for a tax increase this year.
And late Thursday CTU Union President Marilyn Stewart began pushing back.
“I want to make it clear that we will not agree to any proposal that either destroys our contract or fails to maintain the integrity of our pension system,” she said in a statement. “Nor will we tolerate the implied threats being made by Mr. Huberman that he may have to cut programs and services for our students or lay off teachers.”
Huberman can force the union back to the bargaining table by declaring a fiscal emergency, but chief labor relations officer Rachel Resnick stressed that district officials would like the union to willingly come to the table.
Huberman emphasized that all the things he outlined Thursday need to happen in order for the district to balance its budget, which is required by state law.
“We are talking and, not or,” he said.
If Huberman doesn’t get everything he wants, he warned he will be forced to take drastic actions. He would not say what big items he would target in a worst-case scenario.
But he displayed a breakdown of how much the district would save by increasing class sizes and how much it would save by doing away with specific programs. Among the areas he highlighted: $49 million for gifted and magnet schools, $11 million for after-school programs and $89 million by closing 100 schools and opening no new charter or turnaround schools.
“I am not saying we will cut these specific programs,” Huberman said. “But all that is left is class sizes and programs. This is incredibly serious.”
Huberman has been dealing with severe budget issues since he was appointed to the helm last January. Coming into the 2009-2010 school year, he promised to trim the budget by $160 million.
This summer, he laid off 536 central office and citywide employees. By mid-year, over the last couple of weeks, he said he carried out another $64 million. How he did this is unclear. (CPS officials promised to provide details by the end of the business day Thursday, but did not.)
Now, Huberman says he will layoff another 500 people at a savings of about $25 million. District officials said this move showed that central administration was willing to sacrifice for the greater good.
“We are not just cutting the fat,” said Alicia Winckler, chief of human capital. “We don’t have 500 extra people. These are not people in schools, but people in the schools will be impacted.”
Huberman sounds budget crisis alarm; confirms 500 more layoffs
Even though Mr. Huberman talked of salary freezes and “tight hiring restrictions,†he never mentioned or was asked by media reporters about the new office Performance Management and the close to 50 new employees that Huberman is hired since he became CEO. Most of the new hires have no educational background, certification or experience but are patronage hires from other City of Chicago departments: such as, Barbara Lumpkin - $154,000-a-year former chief procurement officer for Mayor Daley; "Chief Performance Management Officer" (Sarah Kremsner) and "Chief Operations Officer" (Pat Taylor), both Kremsner and Taylor are in newly created positions paying more than $140,000 per year they worked with Huberman at the CTA; Melissa Megliola, the officer of Autonomous Management and Performance Schools, is getting a 20 percent raise over her previous $125,500 salary; in addition to these hires, Mr. Huberman created the new position of Chief Area Officer, at a salary of $151,000 per year which resulted in raises of as much as 43 percent for some administrators. In total, the salaries of the new 21 area officers, plus a new AMPS officer, will be $3.3 million per year all added during last years financial crisis.
Huberman sounds school budget alarm; confirms 500 more layoffs
Melissa Megliola is USELESS!!! She allows AMPS schools to do what they want when they want with no intervention. Some of the AMPS schools were earned by VETERAN PRINCIPALS with sound judgement! Now that they have retired the new principals kept the AMPS status that was not earned! The new principals NEED OVERSIGHT! Once the AMPS status is removed from some of the schools maybe CPS will recognize Melisaa is NOT NEEDED! All AMPS schools should be accountable to their CAOs and no one else!
Huberman sounds school budget alarm; confirms 500 more layoffs
So long as Monique Bond is employed, there's still plenty of fat to cut. The schools did not reopen the contract in good times to give us more, so why should we accept less in tough times? Also, how much money were given to the UNO charter schools?
Huberman sounds school budget alarm; confirms 500 more layoffs
that's what gov. quinn gve to UNO for their schools just last fall. AND CPS pays for the utilities, custodians and engineers in the schools they are in too. And Il and CPS have no money. Liars.
Huberman sounds school budget alarm; confirms 500 more layoffs
Charter schools, Trun around, Fresh start school, Higher medical out of pocket cost. Flat rate of pay. MAYBE WE NEED TO OPEN THIS CONTRACT.
Huberman so nds school budget alarm; confirms 500 more layoffs
Do you really want Marilyn Stewart and UPC negotiationing one more contract
Huberman sounds school budget alarm; confirms 500 more layoffs
Just another sellout - she talks tough now (election year posturing), but we all know what's going to happen on the 22 of May if these parasites get back in. DISASTER. She won't take any furlough days, but we will and then she'll come out and tell us what a wonderful job she did for us!
You will have plenty of choices in May. Don't be fooled by the UPC's trash.
Huberman sounds school budget alarm; confirms 500 more layoffs
Lets not kid oursleve. The Mayor, Huberman knows what a easy push over Marilyn is. If she wins who knows what else we will have to give back.
Huberman sounds school budget alarm; confirms 500 more layoffs
Will Huberman be going to the ACT corporation to ask them to take a cut in pay for tests and test-prep materials? What about the vendors who continue to sell curriculums that don't work? Will they be asked to open their contracts? Will the adjunct testing corporations who bury teachers in mounds of data telling them what they already know be told they cannot be paid what they were promised?
Huberman sounds school budget alarm; confirms 500 more layoffs
$30 - $60,000,000 for IDS/High School Transformation?
$120,000,000 to privatize education via UNO?
$250,000,000 in education funds redirected annually to TIFs?
$422,000,000 in "other charges"?
$700,000,000 in vendor contracts?
Desperate times indeed. Still, the state and city could put a $400,000,000 dent in this deficit without much trouble at all.
And I'm sure that since Huberman wants to re-open the contract with teachers he'll also renegotiate the other $700 million in current CPS contracts?
Right?
Huberman sounds school budget alarm; confirms 500 more layoffs
Do you really care about the children? Do you really care about the educators of Chicago? I think not. Our children who live in low income housing and dangerous areas within our great city no who really cares about the CHILDREN of Chicago not you Mr. Huberman or Mayor Daley or Mrs. Stewart
Huberman sounds school budget alarm; confirms 500 more layoffs
Until Mr. Huberman takes a salary cut to show that he really is concerned about the budget, I won't as well. All the people he hired make over 150,000 per year, not to mention that although he plans to lay off 500 people, he introduced new people to his staff recently!!?? How about you cut their salaries in half so that they are in line with our salaries, get rid of the tens of millions you waste on CNTC(who have to help the poor young white teachers teach the mean black children), and cut the money for charters before you start cutting our money.
Huberman sounds school budget alarm; confirms 500 more layoffs
Mr. Huberman sent a letter to CPS employees outlining the four major causes of the budget crisis. I couldn't help but notice the absence of any mention of TIFs. I wonder if a school system that was independent of mayoral control might be willing to call attention to the millions and millions of dollars that TIFs are taking away from the school system. Last year, TIFs took $250 million from the schools:
http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/chicago-public-schools-cps-cutbacks...
Huberman sounds school budget alarm; confirms 500 more layoffs
Did the layoffs occur? I thought it was suppose to happen last Friday. Does anyone what departments were cut?
Huberman sounds school budget alarm; confirms 500 more layoffs
Just yesterday CPS agreed to pat AUSL over 2 million dollars to supervise the turnaround process. If they get rid of this racially loaded policy of firing African American and teachers that work in the AA community, they could save money.
You're right get the money back from UNO 102 million and fire all the lazy Area People who use the Area offices as a "Chukie Cheese" pit stop for administrators to be whined and dined at everyone's expense! CUT THE FAT HUBERMAN! It's not in the schools.
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