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Chicago's charters and options
Acero said it would close 7 schools before the 2025-26 school year due to a $40 million budget shortfall.
The deadline for applying to magnet, selective, charter, and other schools outside a student’s neighborhood is being extended to Dec. 15.
The charter operator said it needs to close seven schools on the Southwest Side because of a budget deficit. Chicago Board of Education members said they will work to find alternatives to campus closures.
Mayor Brandon Johnson said the proposed charter school closures require more aggressive solutions from the district, but he hasn’t “seen that type of leadership” from CPS.
Since April 1, nearly $4 million has flowed into candidates’ campaign funds and more than $2.8 million has been spent by two pro-school choice independent expenditure committees.
The pro-school choice advocacy group contributed enough in several board districts to lift campaign contribution limits for all candidates.
The Chicago Board of Education oversees many different types of schools, including magnets, selective enrollment, and charters.
Chicago Public Schools’ largest charter school network opened its original campus 25 years ago with a focus on sending students to college.
Chicago charter parents and officials say they worry about the district’s upcoming strategic plan
The district is adjusting bell times and creating transportation hubs in order to provide busing to more students.
The leadership change at the city’s largest network of charter high schools comes as Chicago’s Board of Education has increased scrutiny on charters and school choice.
Critics urge the district to push for more funding — and more spending — rather than cuts.
In its budget proposal, Chicago Public Schools is giving charters a slight funding boost overall, although some could still get funding cuts.
Appeals court says board’s vote did not violate state law on school closures. What happens next to Urban Prep’s students is unclear.
The teachers union propelled Johnson to City Hall with an education platform promising more funding and staff at neighborhood schools, housing for homeless students, and free public transit passes.
Students were assessed based on test scores, grades, school rankings, and their neighborhood’s socioeconomics in the CPS high school enrollment process.
Chicago teachers are trying out different strategies to get young students between kindergarten to second grade interested in math, build their foundational skills, and improve their test scores.
The vote represented the first round of charter renewals under the current board.
They’re responding to signals that Johnson and the school board want to shift resources to neighborhood public schools.
How much the district will try to change the city’s school choice system will depend on community feedback.