Chicago Public Schools will budget less than half as much money this year to pay police officers stationed in schools than it did last year, according to a new proposed district budget released Monday.
The reduction in spending on Chicago police officers in public schools comes in the middle of heated debate over whether cops should remain at the more than 70 schools they were stationed at last year.
The school officer budget for the 2020-21 school year will be $15 million, down from $33 million budgeted last year.
About $10.5 million of the reduction is due to officers not working in schools during remote learning days. CPS has announced that at least the first quarter of the school year will be held fully remote, with no in-person learning. If at-home instruction extends further into the year, CPS would keep more of its money.
The remaining $7.5 million decrease is because CPS will no longer pay the mobile patrol officers who drive around schools but don’t work inside buildings.
The district wrote in a statement accompanying the new budget that the cuts to the school officer program were “as part of the ongoing reforms to strengthen the SRO program.”
CPS ended up paying $15 million less than the $33 million budgeted in the previous school year because of days officers didn’t work in schools when buildings shut down because of the coronavirus.
The Board of Education voted 4-3 in June against a motion to dump the contract with police. But another vote on the program is anticipated at the Aug. 26 board meeting, when CPS officials are expected to propose a revised contract with the Chicago Police Department for board approval.
In the meantime, Local School Councils at individual schools have been voting on whether to keep officers at their schools. While most that have voted so far have chosen to keep them, some have decided to get rid of them and many have yet to vote. The voting deadline is this Friday.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
