The new school year begins at Chicago Public Schools on Monday. School administrators are hoping for further improvements in academic performance as the school district works to meet students’ increasing needs despite budget cuts.
Classes begin during a mini heat wave. A heat advisory is in effect from midday Monday through Tuesday evening for “dangerously hot conditions,” the National Weather Service said. Temperatures are expected to stay in the high 90s through Tuesday, testing many schools’ old ventilation systems. CPS is canceling all outdoor sports competitions on Monday and Tuesday and plans to move practices indoors or cancel them altogether. Officials say recess and sports will be held indoors if the heat is too much. CPS says all classrooms are air-conditioned.
As the new semester begins, CPS is another year removed from the COVID-19 pandemic, and as a sign that students are finding some stability, CPS CEO Pedro Martinez touts preliminary data showing more children can read well than before the pandemic. These new test results follow a national study that found Reading values increased more than any other major urban district.
As a sign that students have found some stability in recent years, CPS CEO Pedro Martinez touts preliminary data showing more children can read well than before the pandemic. These new test results follow a national study that found Reading values increased more than any other major urban district.
However, math skills improved much more slowly and are still below pre-pandemic levels.
Martinez did not provide insight into high school test scores from last school year. Previous results showed that they were well behind pre-pandemic levels. Absenteeism rates remained high.
But completion rates continue to rise slightly and are now at 83%.
Martinez and his team attribute the improvements at least in part to how they spent $2.8 billion in federal COVID relief funds over the past few years. Each school got an extra teacher, and many got a cadre of tutors to work with students with learning disabilities. In addition, schools got money for summer and after-school programs where they received not only remedial instruction but also additional academic content.
The newfound stability may face challenges this year. Federal COVID relief money will soon run out, and the school district had to close a $505 million deficit to balance his budgetCPS officials said they made the cuts outside of class whenever possible, focusing instead on savings at headquarters and operations.
But additional support, such as teachers and tutors for low-performing students, was targeted at schools with high rates of poverty, and now dozens of schools are without this help. The amount of money that schools are given for Extracurricular programs have also been greatly reducedaccording to Chalkbeat Chicago.
At the same time, Martinez said, CPS has more high-needs students. CPS has welcomed nearly 8,900 new immigrants in the past two years, helping stabilize enrollment after more than a decade of decline. Last year, a quarter of all CPS students were learning English, compared to less than 20% in the 2019-2020 school year.
Many of the new arrivals have no accommodation, which is why the district has to provide travel allowances and other support services.
The proportion of students with special educational needs has also increased. Last year, around 16 percent of students required additional support from social workers, occupational therapists, speech therapists and support staff.
Next year, CPS expects to spend $1.4 billion on special education, an increase of about $20 million over last year.
