Chicago Public Schools officials have confirmed that the district has been holding conversations on massive budget cuts for the next school year, 20 percent cuts that would be the biggest in the district's history.
“CPS officials have been discussing school budget cuts in excess of 20 percent with principals in order to prepare school communities for devastating cuts next year. These meetings have taken place individually and in small groups," CPS spokesperson Emily Bittner said.
The proposed cuts would certainly impact teachers, which has many CPS parents outraged.
"When we are told by our principal that one out of every five teachers may lose their job, that breaks my heart because we have the most amazing teachers at that school,"said CPS parent Lynn Ankney. "Seeing the waste going on in the district-- it's maddening and it's got to stop."
Principals are being asked to assist in coming up with ways to cut costs, from laying off teachers, to raising class sizes, and cutting resources.
"I can no longer make the decision between cutting a teacher and a counselor. I need them both," Schurz High School principal Dan Kramer said at an LSC meeting Thursday.
CPS officials called for a revamped funding plan from lawmakers in Springfield, blaming the deficit in part on the funding formula that they say costs the district more then $500 million each year, and the $74 million reduction in funding proposed by Governor Rauner.
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But parents don't entirely buy that argument, many saying that they've done their part.
"We are hosting the fundraisers to bring in the basic services that you take granted in the elite private schools you send your kids to," Jeff Jenkins said.
"We are hosting the fundraisers to bring in the basic services that you take granted in the elite private schools you send your kids to," Jeff Jenkins said.
"Every year we cut a little bit more, and we figure out ways to make it work," said parent Vanessa Reu. "You get to the point where there is nothing left to cut."
CPS enrollment dropped by 6000 students this year, which is another contributing factor, according to the governor's office.
