Eva Corona can’t wait to welcome her students Monday back to the South Side elementary school she says has become a haven for a small group of newly arrived immigrants.
But the bilingual coordinator knows the summer has been rough for many of those families.
With the stepped up threat of deportation from the federal government hanging over them, some have left. Others have lost jobs or felt nervous about keeping them and are struggling to keep “a roof over their heads.”
Corona says they have asked for help with uniforms and school supplies, and her school is providing what it can.
“They are always going to be scared, but they want their kids to have a normal life and school year,” she said.
The Trump administration has the potential to create disruptions for Chicago Public Schools this year.
Not only are many families affected by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and immigration policies, but the school district is also under investigation by the administration. The federal government could conclude that CPS violated civil rights or Title IX protections and freeze funding — something CPS has not taken into account as it has devised its budget.
At the same time, the district officials spent the summer grappling with a massive budget deficit for this school year. Last week, they rolled out a budget proposal, and board members are set to vote on it next Thursday, after classes begin.
CPS also has a new interim leader steering the district through these tumultuous waters.
But Nicole Milberg, chief of teaching and learning, stressed that behind the scenes there’s been attention to the educational experience.
“We’ve all worked really hard this summer to make sure that what we know matters the most for kids is in place,” she said. “I feel really confident sending my two kids to school on Monday knowing that they are going to get the same high-quality experience that they’ve gotten in all the years before.”
Here are some of what we will be watching as classes begin.
Enrollment and attendance
When Texas Gov. Greg Abbott began sending busloads of migrants to Chicago in 2022, the move was sharply criticized as inhumane. But for Chicago Public Schools, the new families were a positive.
They helped stabilize a student population on the decline. Some schools in low-income Black communities that had years of dropping enrollment, like where Corona teaches, saw bumps.
But President Donald Trump’s campaign against immigration might mean more enrollment declines.
When Trump initially threatened “shock and awe” enforcement, parents started keeping their kids at home, and then again, whenever parents heard of ICE raids, said Patrick Brosnan, executive director of the Brighton Park Neighborhood Council.
Brosnan said some parents got picked up by ICE on their way to drop their children off at school. “These are the stories that terrify parents,” he said.
Now, the fear is some families won’t return at all. Corona says if any don’t show up, she plans to call moms and dads and urge them to come.
CPS leaders met with principals on Friday morning to make sure they had what they needed for immigrant families who might feel threatened, Milberg said.
“We want to make sure that our communities are set up to support them,” she said.
Teachers in classrooms
As they grappled with the budget deficit, CPS officials said their No. 1 priority was to protect the student experience.
They kept the same teacher-to-student ratios and even continued funding more than 550 extra teachers whose job is to target struggling students, as well as 174 instructional coaches to make sure teaching practices are strong.
Chief Talent Officer Ben Felton said he is especially proud that, in the midst of a continued teacher shortage and threats on public education, the CPS vacancy rate is less than 3%, the lowest level perhaps ever.
“When you have lots of vacant positions, it’s oftentimes kids who are furthest from opportunity, who suffer the most,” Felton said. “What we’re seeing in our data, too, is that the biggest reduction in teacher vacancies are in our highest-need neighborhoods. So we’re really thrilled about that.”
Cuts to support staff
But the deficit is being erased in part through layoffs and closing positions, some of which will touch schools. Among the casualties are 100 crossing guards, 250 lunchroom workers and 500 custodians. In a letter to parents, CPS acknowledged these changes may impact schools, including seeing cleaning schedules altered and the loss of hot meals after school.
Some programs also have been trimmed back. With federal COVID-19 relief money, CPS hired hundreds of tutors to give students extra attention. But this year there will only be tutors for middle school math and a program for some high schoolers.
CPS officials also announced savings of $50 million in central and network offices. They have yet to detail how but said it will include some staff reductions. The central office grew by 760 positions over the past five years.
Special education
Even as officials say they have tried hard to keep cuts away from students, many parents and teachers of students in special education worry their children are being targeted.
Earlier this summer, CPS announced layoffs for more than 670 special education classroom assistants, noting many would be hired back. But they also said overall positions were down as they reduced the number of aides automatically assigned to classrooms for students with moderate or severe disabilities.
Joshua Long, head of CPS Office for Students with Disabilities, stressed this was not to save money. He was concerned some schools were overstaffed. “We have to make sure that we don’t over-allocate and put resources where they are not needed,” Long said.
Jeannine Carrasquillo is a CPS special education classroom assistant, working with students who have Individualized Education Programs. She says she doesn’t believe it when CPS says it isn’t trying to save money by reducing the number of aides automatically assigned to classrooms for students with moderate or severe disabilities.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times file
CPS is hiring more case managers and clinicians, in accordance with the Chicago Teachers Union contract.
Parent Melina Pereyra told CPS board members she doesn’t believe what Long is claiming.
“You tell us not to worry while you continue proposing cutting what little our schools can offer,” she said.
After-school programs
When CPS was flush with federal funding, there was heavy investment in after0school programs. Schools that had gone without suddenly could pay teachers or outside groups to run clubs, some providing academic support and others offering fun activities.
CPS cut the budget for these programs last year by about one-third, to $31 million, even as officials said they were doubling down on out-of-school learning, according to Chalkbeat Chicago. And, with the budget proposal still in flux, it is unclear how much district money will be put aside for after-school programs.
Federal and state funding for these programs is a mess, said Brosnan of the Brighton Park Neighborhood Council. Fewer schools in CPS are getting federal money for after-school programs, due to a technical error that was uncovered two years ago.
State lawmakers allocated $50 million last year for after-school programs, but the state board of education never sent that money out, saying they never got direction from lawmakers. Now, that pot is gone.
Another pot of state funding for after-school programs did get a $10 million increase this year, but the state has yet to ask schools and programs to apply for that money.
“The end result,” Brosnan said, “is that we are searching for funding to sustain our programs.”
Sarah Karp covers education for WBEZ. Follow her on X @WBEZeducation and @sskedreporter.