LOGAN SQUARE — Eleven positions — seven teaching jobs and four support staff posts — will be eliminated at Kelvyn Park High School in Logan Square this school year, CPS officials announced.
The school at 4343 W. Wrightwood Ave. stands to lose $794,221, or 15.27 percent of its budget, in the latest round of budget cuts — the 12th-largest decrease of high schools in the city, according to Chicago Public Schools data.
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Several other schools are facing more cuts than Kelvyn Park, including Manley Career Academy High School, 2935 W. Polk St., which stands to lose 31.6 percent of its budget, and Harper High School, 6520 W. Wood St., which stands to lose 26.7 percent of its budget. But the loss of positions at Kelvyn Park ranks among the highest in the city.
It is unclear how many of the 11 positions will be eliminated through layoffs or through retirement and other vacancies. Principal Allyson R. Fox-Crump didn't respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
Jerry Skinner, a veteran teacher of 23 years, said it was only a matter of time before he received the pink slip at Kelvyn Park. Over the last several years at Kelvyn Park things were "very difficult" thanks to budget cuts, he said.
Skinner said he will bounce back: He expects to find a new teaching position at another CPS school and stay connected with the Kelvyn Park community by participating in Logan Square Neighborhood Association events and other actions. It's his younger colleagues he's most concerned about.
"I've been very lucky because I've had a career in CPS," he said.
"It's been very difficult to watch what's been happening the last eight years, and it's getting worse and worse. My younger colleagues .. it's sad to see this. They might not be tenured. So, in a way, there's a lot to do for our younger — and older — colleagues."
Reductions in the CPS budget come as officials expect enrollment to drop by 8,000 students citywide. Last year, enrollment dropped by more than 13,800 students, data shows. The expected enrollment for the upcoming school year is 353,014, down from last year's 360,676.
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While schools will get $200 more per student during the 2017-18 school year than they did for the 2016-17 school year, the overall CPS budget will shrink by about $43 million, officials said.
State law sets a deadline of Sept. 1 for CPS to approve an operating budget.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel has said Chicago schools will open Sept. 5 as scheduled — regardless of what Gov. Bruce Rauner does.
Schools' final budgets are based on the number of students who attend class on the 20th day of the school year. In 2016, 134 teachers and 103 members of schools' support staffs were laid off in October.
CPS said layoffs occur before every school year because of expected changes in enrollment and school programs. About 60 percent of laid-off teachers find another position at a CPS school.
See how Logan Square public schools fared in the latest round of cuts:
(School name, budget increase or decrease, percent increase or decrease)
Brentano Elementary, 2723 N. Fairfield Ave.: +$270,932 (8.41 percent) 0 positions eliminated
Chase Elementary, 2021 N. Point St.: -$29,3091 (0.71 percent) 1 teacher, 1 support staffer eliminated
Darwin Elementary, 3116 W. Belden Ave.: -$215,961 (6.3 percent) 2 support staffers eliminated
Funston Elementary, 2010 N. Central Park Ave.: -$8,258 (0.25 percent) 6 teachers eliminated
Goethe Elementary, 2236 N. Rockwell St.: -$99,564 (2.06 percent) 0 positions eliminated
Marine Leadership Academy (formerly Ames), 1920 N. Hamlin Ave.: +$218,122 (2.96 percent) 2 support staffers eliminated
McAuliffe Elementary, 1841 N. Springfield Ave.: +$198,921 (4.06 percent) 1 support staffer eliminated
Monroe Elementary, 3651 W. Schubert Ave.: $-443,213 (7.14 percent) 0 positions eliminated
Mozart Elementary, 2200 N. Hamlin Ave.: $-69,841 (1.39 percent) 2 teachers, 1 support staffer eliminated
Yates Elementary, 1839 N. Richmond St.: -$140,064 (3.15 percent) 2 teachers, 2 support staffers eliminated
