PROPOSED CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS BUDGET FUNDS NURSE, SOCIAL WORKER, AND CASE MANAGER HIRING

Chicago Public Schools recently released their proposed budget for the upcoming year. Photo Credit: Chicago Public Schools
Chicago Public Schools recently released their proposed budget for the upcoming year. Photo Credit: Chicago Public Schools

Proposed Chicago Public Schools Budget Funds Nurse, Social Worker, and Case Manager Hiring

BY KATHERINE NEWMAN

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Chicago Public Schools CEO, Dr. Janice Jackson, recently hosted a press conference to announce the release of the proposed Chicago Public Schools budget for the upcoming year.

The budget includes $73 million more in classroom spending compared to last school year and $10 million in funding to recruit and retain additional nurses, social workers and case managers for the district’s highest-need schools.

The budget announcement comes on the heels of an earlier announcement to expand the Opportunity Schools Program which provides funding and support for high-need schools to recruit and retain highly qualified educators.

“Everything that we have rolled out over the course of the last few weeks and what we will continue to do is focused on the idea that we have a commitment and an obligation to our young people and we intend to meet that commitment in everything that we do,” said Lightfoot.

The proposed budget totals $821 million and will impact the 361,000 students who are enrolled in the Chicago Public School system, according to information provided by Chicago Public Schools.

Included in this proposed budget is the district’s largest ever Pre-Kindergarten capital investment which will bring Chicago Public Schools much closer to meeting the goal of providing free full-day Pre-K to all 4-year-olds in Chicago by 2021. There will be a combined $120 million investment in Pre-K facilities, according to information provided by Chicago Public Schools.

“As some of you know, I spent a significant amount of time across the city and what I see among our young people is a lot of greatness, a lot of energy, and dynamic kids who are accomplishing great things. We need to support that effort in every way that we can and particularly with our youngest children. We need to make sure that they feel this blanket of love and support all around them at an early age, both in terms of the physical environment that we create for them but also in terms of the programmatic support and resources that we provide,” said Lightfoot.

Chicago Public Schools will be holding multiple public hearings this month to gather feedback on the proposed budget including three hearings on August 21 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Amundsen High School, 5110 North Damen Ave., Morgan Park High School, 1744 West Pryor Ave., and Whitney Young High School, 211 South Laflin St.

The final budget is expected to be presented for a vote on August 28.

“Our communities and our students are going to get what they need in our schools and that is one thing we know and we can guarantee,” said Jackson. “It was really important for us, as we roll out this budget, to make sure that we have equity at the core and that we use an equity lens with every decision that we make to ensure that we are providing our most vulnerable students with the resources that they need,” said Jackson.

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