As CPS prepares to close a record number of schools, the fate of students and communities is in question.
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CPS budget picture is brightening just a bit
By: Sarah Karp / February 01, 2011
Though they are still estimating a $700 million deficit, CPS officials
said Tuesday morning that several things on the horizon have the
potential to shrink the hole.
Though they are still estimating a $700 million deficit, CPS officials said Tuesday morning that several things on the horizon have the potential to shrink the hole.
Almost $100 million less of a deficit is certain, said Chief Financial Officer Diana Ferguson at the Finance and Audit Committee meeting. The district stands to get about $50 million from a surplus in a Tax Increment Finance district, which is tax money that was set aside to improve a specific area.
Also, district officials plan to carry over $46 million from EduJobs, a federal program passed this summer designed to prevent schools from having to lay off teachers. Kayleen Irizarry, who manages federal grants for CPS, says CPS used $58 million this fall to save about 812 jobs, and will have the rest left from the $104 million it was awarded.
Two other things could help. The economy could improve and therefore property tax revenue would be up, Ferguson said. And the state just passed an income tax hike and CPS officials hope schools will get more than level funding, which what they’ve currently budgeted for.
Next year’s budget quagmire is reminiscent of last year’s when district officials spent the Spring threatening to increase class sizes, layoff masses of teachers and pressuring the teacher’s union to forgo a promised 4 percent pay increase. In the end, the projected $1 billion deficit was whittled down by state pension reform that saved the district $400 million and other last minute measures, including EduJobs.
The increase of class sizes didn’t happen, but CPS did scale down. A Catalyst analysis of employee rosters shows that central office is about 23 percent smaller from July 2009 through November 2010. Meanwhile, about 1,652 school personal were laid off or about 5 percent of all school staff.
So far this year district officials have not publically announced their priorities, though word is that interim CEO Terry Mazany is in the process of setting them for the coming year.
Tuesday morning Ferguson told board members that the district is “on track” in terms of expenses and revenues for the current year. But that the district still has to use its line of credit to make up for money the state still owes it. Just in December, the state paid the district the almost quarter million owed from the 2009-2010 school year, but already for this year the state is in arrears more than $300 million.
Also at the Finance and Audit Committee, CPS Comptroller Daryl Okrzesik told the board that the external audit found no material weaknesses. However, the audit found the district had some problems with purchasing orders, including that bills were paid before invoices were submitted.
Board members told Okrzesik that they want him to follow up on the corrective action he put in place after the audit.
The Finance and Audit Committee was formed this past July and plans to meet quarterly. It has a sign up and time for public participation, but no one spoke at the meeting on Tuesday.
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CPS budget picture is brightening just a bit
Another way to look at these numbers that keeps student interests at the forefront:
CPS cut 3,161 employees from July '09 to November '10.
52% of those cuts came in schools where employees have the most direct contact and direct impact on students, families, teaching, and learning.
32% of cuts came out of citywide services which largely serves schools and children and their families.
8% of cuts came out of administration: 11.6% cuts at Central Office, but a 4% increase in Area Office bureaucracy.
8% of cuts came out of facilities and food service.
How much could CPS have saved if they had temporarily put a temporary hold on closing neighborhood schools and stopped expanding privatized schools? The cost to open up privately run schools (that serve a small, non-representative group of students) is enormous. CPS spent over $300+ million on Ren2010 last year if I recall. And that's probably not including the rental of CPS facilities for $1 to privately run schools. Huge sums of money could have instead been spent directly on serving the needs of all students in the classroom.
CPS budget picture is brightening just a bit
The total cost in employee salaries according to the Employee Rosters:
June 2009: $2,396,792,616.55
May 2010: $2,421,911,453.63
November 2010: $2,409,631,667.63
It seems that CPS is ~ holding constant allocations for staff [benefits not in totals].?.
CPS can reduce the deficit by not filling vacant positions.
In June 2009 there were 45705 (43871.2 full time equivalents (FTEs)) employee positions. There were 3411 (3111.6 FTE) vacant positions representing $167,816,698.12 in salaries.
May 2010, there were 44,162 (42,459.4 FTE) positions, 773 vacancies (697.8 FTEs) representing $37,297,688.50 in salaries.
November 2010 there were 42,544 (40714.9 FTE) and 1,094 vacant positions (973.3 FTEs) representing $49,478,676.02 in salaries.
Presumably, CPS (schools and central) budgeted for staff based on identified student needs. Why so many vacancies?
Vacancies have decreased since July, but the number is higher than in May. In November, there were 711 vacancies in schools, 135 in facilities and food services operations, 128 in central offices, 93 citywide, and 27 in area offices. Vacant positions included 256 (194.7 FTE) regular teachers, 91 (54 FTE) bilingual teachers, 44 (43.2 FTE) special education teachers, 55 special ed classroom assistants, 79 lunchroom attendants, 31 citywide nutrition support staff, and 18 citywide special education resource positions (psychologists, nurses, speech pathologists). The Violence Prevention Initiative includes hiring Student Special Services Advocates. Eleven of these positions were still vacant [$472,796.46 in salaries] in November.
The November roster indicates that children are attending schools with significant amounts of budgeted adult support missing.
Marshall High School has 21 vacant positions (FTEs): 2.5 College/Career Coaches, 2 Lunchroom Attendants, 1 Professional IV $74K, 10 Regular Teachers, 1 School Clerk Assistant, 1 School Social Worker, 1 Stadium Attendant, 2 Student Special Services Advocates.
Fenger has 18 vacant positions including (in FTEs): 10 regular teachers, 1 Professional IV at $78K, 3 Student Special Service Advocate, 1 School Social Worker, 1 College/Career Coach, 1 professional V at $94K, 1 school security officer at $28K
Harper High School has 17 vacant positions: 1 social worker, 2 special service advocates, 1 assistant principal $107K, 1 Professional III, 1 Professional IV $94K, 2 college/career coaches, 1 military instructor, 1 school security officer, 7 regular teachers.
Steinmetz has 9 vacancies including 1 military instructor, 1 AP, 4 regular teachers, 1 engineer iv, 1 teaching assistant, 1 school security aide.
Phillips has 9 vacancies including 1 regular teacher. The remaining are full time custodial and lunchroom workers and teacher assistants.
Mather has 6 positions at 0.5FTE for bilingual teachers and one 0.5 regular teacher.
How well are children in these schools being supported with this degree of under-staffing?
Judy King
CPS budget picture is brightening just a bit
The Budget is always brighter as long as money is being taken away from Bronzeville TIF's. Our taxes go up on each installment and we are the least to benefit from the our TIF's. CPS is too cheap to invest in our school's. However Jones College Prep has taken millions from our TIF so that South Loopers can benefit from a neighborhood portion in Jones College Prep. This is our tax dollars at work for a richer community. Fioretti and CPS should be ashamed of themselves. According to the Illinois Facilities Fund, Douglas ranks number 6 in need of high perforing schools and little is being done to preserve the performing schools that we have left. We keep being flooded with NCLB. Meanwhile CPS with the help of Fioretti, is spending our TIF money in richer communities. This behavior is criminal!!! I would not be surprised if the $50 million ends up in Stem Magnet. This money could have been used to keep Chicago High School for the Arts in the Douglas Community. However, it is going to be relocated to Lafayette School in East Humboldt Park. So much for "Walking Your Child to School" and so much our TIF money being used in our own community.
CPS budget picture is brightening just a bit
Judy King except for Steinmetz and Mather all of those schools are so called Turnaround Schools. These are schools that all the staff were let go and to befilled by "better" staff. All they have done is save money on the backs of students. Nothing in these schools has changed for the better. I am not saying that all teachers are great but why get rid of everyone and have no one to replace them. This is another way CPS saves money and says that their budget is improving.
Principals not hiring qualified teachers saves them money but it does not help studens learn.
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