The Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is at the center of complaints lodged by the students' parents. Two sides have been debating over the city's education funding issues, which they said could have been avoided if the CPS didn't impose on the changes or have proposed a better system.
The CPS board passed a revised $6.4 billion operating budget that lumps special education spending with the needs of regular students. The new budget is supposed to take effect this school year but the situation has placed parents, students and teachers in a tough spot.
One mother, Jennie Biggs, is joining in the debates. She doesn't have a child with special needs but she believes that the revised school budget will short-change the other children under regular education. She said that the CPS created a scenario that is putting "special education and general education in a Hunger-Games-style competition," according to Chicago Sun-Times.
Another parent said that CPS school funding is already inadequate as it is. "[It] creating a dangerous and non-inclusive environment where the requirements for some students are pitted against the needs of all," mom Maggie Baran said, per Chicago Tribune.
Special ed funding cuts in Chicago hurting all students - parents & @CTULocal1 standing together to fight https://t.co/u9i2nkBAkO #CPSboard
— Randi Weingarten (@rweingarten) December 8, 2016
Some parents believe that schools officials are likely to favor special needs education when granting budget expense. Potential legalities could arise if the special needs kids are not met and schools would logically want to avoid this at all cost.
Yet there are also schools whose special education students are currently receiving no funding nor staff support because budget funds are lacking. The parents think that the CPS is forcing school officials into making difficult decisions when lumping the budget isn't the answer to the city's funding woes.
Parents have already written Mayor Rahm Emanuel of their concerns. The Chicago Teachers Union have also organized a demonstration last Wednesday to protest the CPS budget change. Continuous board meetings have been taking place between the parents and school community until this issue is resolved.
