CPS restores bell times for more than 30 schools

Forrest Claypool, the recently-appointed public schools CEO, told reporters in a conference call Monday that he is hoping the dour budget will spur state lawmakers to send more funding Chicago’s way in the coming weeks, the Sun-Times reports.

The Chicago Teachers Union didn’t immediately have comment. Chicago has given and given and given.

A new Chicago Public Schools operating budget, unveiled Monday, includes 479 teacher layoffs and an unlikely $480 million state funding hole.

At the same time, Rauner said he opposed proposals to create an elected school board in Chicago, something the CTU backs, citing Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s efforts to challenge the union.

CPS officials said 99 percent of the teacher cuts are due to shifting student enrollment, though a history teacher who got a notice, Allison Valentine, said she didn’t understand it since the department was understaffed and the school was seeing an increase in students. More than 400 of the district’s 600-plus schools are seeing reductions. Another $250 million in savings will come after the district restructures its debt, pushing payments out into the future, a move known as “scoop and toss”.

CPS says the new bell times will now save the district $5 million in transportation costs, rather than the original estimate of $9 million.

“Similar ability to change what gets collectively bargained could save hundreds of millions of dollars to other school districts around the state”, Rauner said.