Chicago Public Schools students return to class amid heat wave, other challenges remain
Excessive Heat Warning issued for Cook County for Monday and Tuesday
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Hundreds of thousands of Chicago Public Schools students returned to the classroom Monday.
The good news is the hottest part of the day both Monday and Tuesday is scheduled to happen after most schools have let out, but it's still uncomfortable outside. It is why CPS is, among other things, limiting students' time outdoors over the coming days: Things like recess and physical education have been moved inside.
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Mayor Brandon Johnson rang a ceremonial bell outside Logan Square's McAuliffe Elementary School Monday morning. He then came to close out day one of the school year at George Washington High School on the city's Far South Side, offering up high-fives and handshakes after dusting off the summer cobwebs.
"With all the gains we've made as a district, there is still so much work to be done," Johnson said.
Arriving students Monday excitedly greeted friends, as parents made sure their children were set for their first day of a brand new year.
"This is my neighborhood school," CPS parent Jacqueline Acevedo said. "I grew up. I came here, as well. My kids come here. My 13-year-old is an eighth grader. She's in the back school. And then my kindergarten, my 5-year-old."
With the school year starting in the middle of a heat wave, getting off to a good start added an additional layer of preparation for CPS, which spent the weekend making sure all of its classroom air conditioning systems were up and running.
"We do talk to our principals, giving them guidance," CPS CEO Pedro Martinez said. "So, for example, we won't have outdoor recess. We've canceled all sports events, and, depending on the time of the day, not have any of our children in any hot rooms."
At the end of the day, there are about 175 more to go. CPS students reunited with their parents in the heat.
The hot temperatures, however, are the least of CPS' problems. Even as the district reports gains in reading and math, as well as higher graduation rates, CPS continues to grapple with a school bus driver shortage.
CPS again cannot guarantee busing for selective enrollment and magnet school students this year.
There is also an increasing budgetary shortfall of $500 million, just as post-COVID federal funding is coming to an end.
"The state of Illinois owes districts across this state roughly $3.6 billion," Mayor Johnson said. "The city of Chicago $1.1 billion."
Under a state law passed a few years ago, the state gave each Illinois school district a 10-year path to become fully funded. The mayor wants the remaining $1.1 billion owed to CPS in advance. Springfield said "no."
Already, those budgetary conflicts have led to talk of a strain in the relationship between the mayor and Martinez.
All of that was pushed off to the side for Monday, with both men making the rounds together on the first day of school.
Martinez strived to highlight the positives.
"We have more teachers than ever in our classrooms, over 600 more teachers in our buildings, our lowest turnover rate ever," he said.
But, they are teachers without a new contract.
"We had about 700 proposals at the end of April. As of last week, we responded to more than half," Martinez said.
The school district and the Chicago Teachers Union have been negotiating since last April.
"The fact that he keeps saying 'no' doesn't make sense. Pedro is a CPS graduate. He understands the opportunities that he didn't have as a result of underfunding. It is his job to help us figure that out," CTU President Stacy Davis Gates said.
Teachers are asking for 9% raises, and resources like librarians and after-school sports for every school.
"We want class sizes that are manageable. We have too many schools without librarians and libraries. We still have too many schools where there is not enough behavioral health support," Johnson said.
Martinez turned down a Johnson idea to take out a short-term high-interest loan to help pay for a new teachers contract.
"I don't care if it's a short-term or a long-term. I don't care if it's taxing the rich or getting it back from the banks. Send the money to the Chicago Public Schools," Davis Gates said.
Davis Gates remains defiant. She refuses to give in until all schools get the resources they need.
In a statement Tuesday, CPS said, "Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is one of many school districts around the country that in recent years has experienced a shortage of individuals interested in becoming school bus drivers. This national shortage has forced CPS to prioritize yellow bus transportation for our most vulnerable students - our qualifying students with disabilities and Students in Temporary Living Situations (STLS), two demographic groups that are also both growing in size and thus increasing the requests for transportation. In fact, the District has tracked 10,695 transportation requests this year for Students with Disabilities, a 50 percent increase from 7,125 requests last year.
"The District has implemented many strategies, from approving increased driver wages with our vendors, to adjusting arrival and dismissal schedules, to ongoing advocacy for reasonable state testing and certification requirements, as we work to address this ongoing labor shortage. As we start this school year, there are 854 qualified yellow bus drivers through CPS vendor partners, a 37 percent increase from 621 bus drivers last year, and the District has already seen an approximate 28 percent increase in the percentage of students who were transported on yellow buses and paratransit today (the first day of school) over this time last year. The District is transporting the majority of the approximately 16,000 CPS students who are eligible for transportation with an estimated 9,300 students routed on yellow school buses and paratransit vehicles today (Aug. 26), compared to 6,842 students on the first day of school last year.
"The ongoing national bus driver shortage is the primary reason for the District's inability to transport all eligible students but other factors, including the loss of a shuttered company that had transported 12 percent of the paratransit routes, and the SCR work stoppage are also contributing factors. SCR Medical Transportation is the District's largest paratransit vendor - representing over 45% of our fleet.
"Should the strike continue, the District's operational ability to route and transport additional students will be impacted.
"In anticipation of the work stoppage, the District minimized the number of routes given to SCR and placed other vendors on notice and is working with those vendors to support select routes during this strike.
"In the event that the District is unable to route students, families of eligible students with disabilities will be offered $25/day for each day attended until the District can find another transportation provider.
"As a District, we remain determined to resolve the impact of this bus driver shortage and will continue to work relentlessly to increase and improve our services."
