finance and budgets | catalyst-chicago.org

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School closings

As CPS prepares to close a record number of schools, the fate of students and communities is in question.

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finance and budgets

Charter compact could bring new operators to Chicago December 06, 2011 By: Rebecca Harris Charter schools in Chicago would get easier access to facilities and a likely increase in per-pupil funding under a proposed district-charter compact that would also make charters subject to some of the same testing and accountability standards as traditional schools. Read More \| (1) Comments	Chicago to join Gates Foundation charter compact December 02, 2011 By: Sarah Karp Though they are still in negotiations over the details, Chicago Public Schools officials are set to sign on to a national initiative that encourages stronger cooperation between charter schools and traditional schools, as well as providing equitable district funding for charters. Read More \| (27) Comments
Citing safety, most high schools keeping police October 28, 2011 By: Sarah Karp This summer, CPS officials announced a cost-cutting move that they hoped would save $13 million: Offer high schools $25,000 in exchange for each police officer they agreed to give up. Having officers assigned to schools for 8-hour shifts cost about $75,000 a year per officer, according to CPS. But while CPS eventually upped its offer, most high school principals’ concerns over safety have led them to hold on to the two uniformed police officers that have traditionally been assigned to their schools. Read More \| (13) Comments	Charters line up for extended-day cash October 27, 2011 By: Sarah Karp Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced Thursday that most charter schools eligible for the financial incentives to lengthen the day by 90 minutes have quickly signaled that they are ready to jump on board. But the location of his announcement--a school with a longer school day and a poor academic track record--shows the complexity of the issue. Read More \| (10) Comments
In the News: CPS to use tougher school evaluations October 27, 2011 Chicago Public Schools soon will adopt a more rigorous internal evaluation system that judges schools on how well they prepare students for college, a move that could lead to more school closings in the years ahead, the Tribune reported this morning. Read More \| (0) Comments	CPS still looking to save $44 million to balance budget September 28, 2011 By: Sarah Karp In August, district officials promised they would detail the rest of the cuts needed to balance the CPS budget at the September board meeting, but that didn’t happen. Instead, CEO Jean-Claude Brizard told board members that he is still searching for $44 million in savings from the central office. Read More \| (2) Comments
Hundreds of CPS employees face potential layoffs to save $16 million September 22, 2011 By: Sarah Karp The promised reorganization of the top and middle layer of the CPS bureaucracy has been underway for the past few weeks, with hundreds of staffers receiving word that they no longer have a guaranteed position and won’t know for sure if they have a job til mid-to-late October. Read More \| (9) Comments	In the News: CPS launches 'Longer School Day Pioneers Program'; NYers broadly unhappy with public schools September 07, 2011 By: Sarah Karp CPS officials Tuesday invited all elementary schools to join the “Longer School Day Pioneers Program,” which adds 90 minutes of daily instructional time this school year in exchange for pro-rated teacher raises of 2 percent. Read More \| (5) Comments
Early childhood facility money up for grabs; up to $9 million for CPS August 31, 2011 By: Rebecca Harris On Monday, the Illinois Capital Development Board released application guidelines for the first round of a $45 million program, believed to be the first of its kind in the nation, that will help nonprofits and school districts build child care and preschool facilities in underserved areas. Read More \| (1) Comments