Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is facing mounting scrutiny over its adjustments in staffing special education programs as the district grapples with a significant budget deficit of $734 million for the upcoming school year.
Both the Chicago Teachers Union and SEIU Local 73, representing special education classroom assistants, organized separate rallies last week in protest of potential cuts to the number of educators and support personnel dedicated to serving students with disabilities.
CPS officials, however, assert that these changes are necessary to rectify longstanding imbalances in staffing, where some schools are overstaffed with educators for students with disabilities while others struggle with unfilled positions due to a national shortage of special education staff.
Despite adding thousands of staff positions in recent years, district leaders maintain that the number of special education teachers and the overall budget for special education are expected to increase.
Although the number of special education classroom assistant positions will likely decline, officials claim that “an overwhelming majority” of impacted employees will be able to secure jobs at different schools due to widespread vacancies.
Mike Sitkowski, the district’s chief budget officer, emphasized, “The changes that we’re making are unequivocally unrelated to any budgetary pressures or budgetary cuts. Our commitment as a district, and my commitment personally, has been to ensure we have the resources we need in place for our students with disabilities that we’re legally and morally obligated to provide.”
Labor leaders have expressed concern over the changes, arguing that they were made without adequate input from staff and families. They contend that relocating special education teachers and support staff among schools risks disrupting students with disabilities, who typically thrive on consistency.
Trumaine Reeves, SEIU’s CPS division director, remarked, “SECAs develop a rapport with students. They get them to open up and get on the right track.”
The number of students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) served by the district surged nearly 8% in the past five years, amounting to approximately 53,500 students last year, following a dip during the pandemic.
During the same period, the number of special education teacher positions grew by 26%, reaching around 5,300, and the number of special education classroom assistant roles increased over 60% to 7,455, according to a Chalkbeat analysis of district staffing data.
Nonetheless, hundreds of these positions remain unfilled each year, particularly in schools serving low-income students with the greatest needs.
For the upcoming school year, CPS plans to add 120 case managers, a move aligned with its new teachers contract aiming to reduce the workload for educators.
Additionally, the district will hire 100 more clinicians, including speech pathologists, occupational therapists, and psychologists.
CPS will also launch over 30 new cluster programs for students with significant disabilities, offering improved access to specialized services.
As CPS works on its 2025-26 budget amidst a leadership change, officials expect to unveil it in early August, significantly later than usual, creating further uncertainty in light of the July 1 start of the fiscal year.
The recent announcement of dozens of layoffs and cuts to vacant positions, primarily in the central office, has heightened anxiety among special education teachers, support staff, and families.
Despite the budget crisis, district leaders assert that the changes in staff assignment for special education positions would proceed regardless of financial concerns.
Overall special education funding will see an increase from the current $1.3 billion, even before accounting for employee raises, although officials could not specify the exact amount prior to finalizing the district budget.
Using real-time enrollment and staffing data, CPS asserts that staff will be strategically placed in schools and classrooms where their presence is most needed.
They based their staffing plans on enrollment figures from the end of the previous school year when numbers peaked, reflecting an annual rise of thousands of qualifying students.
Joshua Long, head of the district’s Office for Students with Disabilities, highlighted the disparity in special education staffing among schools.
For instance, one network of schools on the North Side has a mere 2% vacancy rate for special education teachers, while another network on the South Side has nearly 20% of such positions unfilled.
Currently, CPS has more than 360 vacant special education teacher positions and around 400 vacant classroom assistant roles.
Long stated, “We as a district have to make sure that we have a formula that is equitable so we’re not further perpetuating these systemic vacancies and then denying students the services that they need.”
In an additional shift, the number of special education classroom assistants assigned to cluster programs, which exclusively serve students with significant disabilities, will decrease at the start of the school year.
State guidelines recommend one assistant for classrooms with up to 13 special-needs students. Yet, CPS previously assigned at least two assistants per cluster class, where some students also have one-on-one assistants.
Going forward, the district will staff one assistant per classroom, except for the 32 new cluster programs starting in the fall to ensure an effective beginning.
SEIU 73 and CTU leaders criticized the district’s decision to revert to a minimum state standard, arguing it reflects a bare minimum approach.
Jeannine Carrasquillo, a special education classroom assistant with over 20 years of experience, expressed concern that the changes could negatively affect students who often have intense academic and behavioral needs requiring more support.
Reeves reiterated the sentiment by stating the increase in staffing during the pandemic era aimed to address long-standing understaffing issues.
He noted that the district was “blindsided” by the recent staffing changes and questioned whether families were adequately consulted.
“I wish there had been an opportunity to discuss and collaborate on this issue,” he said. “I don’t think the answer to a problem is to create a bigger problem.”
In defense of the changes, Long mentioned research indicating that more adults in the classroom do not necessarily equate to better outcomes for students with disabilities.
He described “over-adulted environments” as potentially detrimental, leading to less student independence and fewer interactions with peers without disabilities.
Barbara Cohen, a policy analyst for the nonprofit Legal Council for Health Justice, who advocates for students with disabilities in CPS, asserted that the issue does not solely lie with the number of adults present but rather their training in supporting students effectively.
“I don’t think the solution is necessarily to cut the number of paraprofessionals,” she remarked. “The solution is to have teachers and support staff who understand better what effective support of students looks like.”
Cohen applauded the district’s new onboarding training for special education classroom assistants initiated last summer and called for continued support.
“You need ongoing support to be an effective SECA,” she said.
The CTU also raised concerns over communications from the district advising school leaders that they could seek exemptions to a state rule limiting the percentage of students with disabilities in general education classrooms to no more than 30%.
While district officials assured that the majority of classrooms would still adhere to this standard, they acknowledged that some schools may need flexibility.
The union has urged teachers to report any instances where their schools pursue these exemptions and plans to challenge such requests.
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