By Tomas Tapia '11
Marine Math & Science Academy (MMSA), Chicago Public Schools (CPS), and the community could soon be affected by solutions made by the CPS chief attempting to shear off next year’s whopping one-billion-dollar deficit. Facing a one-billion-dollar deficit for the upcoming 2010-2011 school year and the only way to reduce it is by a combination of pension reform, union concessions and job cuts, said schools chief Ron Huberman.
Marine Math & Science Academy (MMSA), Chicago Public Schools (CPS), and the community could soon be affected by solutions made by the CPS chief attempting to shear off next year’s whopping one-billion-dollar deficit. Facing a one-billion-dollar deficit for the upcoming 2010-2011 school year and the only way to reduce it is by a combination of pension reform, union concessions and job cuts, said schools chief Ron Huberman.
Teacher layoffs, increased class sizes and cuts to important programs are distinct possibilities. Huberman already has a tough budget to handle this year that started with a half-billion-dollar deficit and trimmed millions in programs, laid off 536 employees and mandated six furlough days for nonunion staff in order to decrease this year’s deficit, but he’s now facing a new challenge for next year’s budget.
Huberman offered examples of possible solutions to attempt to trim down a one-billion-dollar deficit on his PowerPoint presentation. Huberman announced Thursday Feb. 25; another three weeks of furlough days and 500 more layoffs for nonunion staff for next year’s deficit but that isn’t enough to satisfy the community and the school chief. Huberman is looking at other ways to tackle this outranges deficit. Plans to decrease or negotiate teachers pay, cut services made the teachers and the community angry.
"We will not 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," Chicago Teacher's Union President Marilyn Stewart said in a statement.
Other solutions include cancelling the sophomore level sports for all CPS schools. On Tuesday district sports director Calvin Davis sent a memo to the school athletic directors explaining that the sophomore level sports would be on hold and only varsity and freshman level teams will be allowed to practice for now. The memo was very confusing to many coaches, and the news comes at the last possible moment for sophomore coaches and players.
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