Principals arrived Tuesday at the Fuller Park Chicago Public Schools building to mostly good news.
Most of their budgets will stay the same or increase slightly in the next school year.
Principal Agustin Emuwa said it will mean a lot to the 318 students here at Stephen Gale Community Academy in Rogers Park.
"Students at a small school deserve to have an amazing and awesome education experience," Emuwa said. "So for me I am just really ecstatic about the fact that now we have the opportunity to get ahead of the gun and do some planning to make sure our students have some individualized learning opportunities."
Next year’s budget also includes an additional $14 million to support students from low-income households, $10 million to support low enrollment schools like Gale and $29 million for special education.
"We were in a better financial position this year and that allowed us to do some of the things which I know are the right things to do for schools," said CPS CEO Janice Jackson.
The budget also includes more money for schools like STEM Magnet Academy in the West Loop where principal Maria McManus says it will help fund additional positions.
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"Being magnet and STEM, I am happy to see the extra $5,000 that’s being thrown toward stem education," McManus said. "I also received four additional positions from the office of access and enrollment, which really helps with the STEM coaches and the engineering coaches and the technology coaches I have in my building."
