Chicago Public Schools officials have announced that nearly 1,000 teachers and staff will receive layoff notices Friday.
According to the district, the layoffs include 494 teachers, including 256 tenured teachers, and 492 support personnel.
The district said the layoffs are part of the “normal annual process of school budgets” and that it expects the “vast majority of teachers” will be re-hired into open positions at other schools.
“CPS principals continue to do exemplary work protecting their classrooms so that they can build on the remarkable academic progress their students are making,” CPs said in a statement. “Today’s staffing changes are part of the normal process of school planning, and there are more vacant positions in the District than staff who will be impacted today, with roughly 1,000 teaching vacancies to be filled.”
The layoffs will impact a total of 280 schools across the city. CPS said it expects to have roughly 1,000 teaching vacancies, which it hopes to fill before the school year begins.
“CPS continues to inflict damage on our school district by implementing layoffs, cutting special education services and other programs that help students excel,” the Chicago Teachers Union said in a statement. “The gutting of experienced educators and other school employees only weakens schools and puts children at a disadvantage. This is no way to run a 21st century school district.”
