CPS Budget Cuts: An Inside Look At Painful Process
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Two weeks.
That is how long Chicago Public School principals have to make some difficult decisions about deep budget cuts.
For the first time, one school gave CBS 2's Dorothy Tucker an inside look at the process.
Today is a typical day for students, but it's not for administrators.
It's an emergency Local School Council meeting at Whitney Young.
Parents, principals, teachers and community representatives must decide how to cut $355,000 from the mid year budget.
The participants are going line-by-line, cutting $2,000 here and $1,000 there from different budgets to hit that cut number.
Everything--from pens, papers, notebooks and computer test prep programs--is on the table.
The goal is to minimize impact on classrooms and students, although Principal Joyce Kenner said two teachers and one clerk will be let go.
Eliminating two teachers affects five classrooms.
It means some students could have new teachers in two weeks. Kenner says they will be replaced by some very good educators.
Still, losing a teacher after several months can be a disruption, especially with high-stake advanced placement testing coming up soon, students said.
Principals and Local School Councils across the city are having similar meetings.
CPS is asking principals to make the cuts by the end of the month, unless the school board and teachers reach a contract agreement.