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Chicago Public Schools
The number of CPS high school students skipping at least 35 days doubled since 2019. Yet, the district's graduation rate continues to rise.
The district is putting together a budget for the 2025-26 school year with no cuts to schools, but the proposal may not come to fruition.
Chicago Public Schools put out to bid 20 properties, most of them closed schools from 2013. The journey to repurpose the old schools could be long and winding.
Chicago Public Schools demolished the old Dett Elementary in fall 2024 after an extra-alarm fire broke out earlier that year. It cost the district $1.25 million. The vacant property is now listed for $1.3 million.
Chief Education Officer Bogdana Chkoumbova told families in an email she plans to depart the district after 24 years as a teacher, principal, and district official. CPS CEO Pedro Martinez will also leave in June for a job leading Massachusetts schools after being fired without cause in December.
A presentation used to brief school board members and obtained by Chalkbeat outlined potential cuts, many of which include staff and programs supported by federal COVID relief money. District officials and school board members look to lobby City Hall and Illinois lawmakers for funding.
The school board has delayed its charter renewal votes for two months, leaving many charter families and educators wondering about the future of their schools.
The committee is mandated by state law, which was amended at the same time lawmakers drew electoral districts for Chicago’s first school board elections.
More privately-run, public charter schools in Chicago have closed in recent years. In a first, Chicago Public Schools is poised to convert five back to district-run campuses.
Martinez was one of three finalists for the job as commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The board’s choice must now be confirmed by the state’s secretary of education.
Illinois' switch back to the ACT has been a bumpy ride. On April 8, a technical glitch prevented 11,000 students from finishing the exam on the same day.
Victor Hurtado came to Chicago as a teenager from Mexico and graduated from Schurz High School in the 1990s. Today, he’s the math department chair at Schurz and teaches bilingual teens advanced algebra and calculus.
This is at least the second public education job Martinez has sought and become a finalist for since his firing in December.
The union said Monday that 85% of members voted on the deal over the course of last Thursday and Friday. Of the ballots cast, 97% ratified the agreement.
The Chicago Board of Education has not yet launched a state-mandated committee focused on Black students. Advocates are pushing board members to create it.
The district is hosting a series of virtual and in-person hearings to get feedback from families and residents as it starts work on its 2025-26 capital budget.
The Chicago Principals and Administrators Association, the union representing principals, would like more protections against harassment and bullying of school leaders and more time to focus on teaching and learning.
The federal education department told state education leaders they must certify within 10 days that their schools do not participate in practices the administration deems illegally promote DEI.
Local education leaders have underscored their commitment to the LGBTQ+ community, but some say officials must do more.
The tentative four-year contract would raise teacher pay, add prep time for elementary school teachers, and increase recess time for students.