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Parents, teachers and students press board over cuts: Shy Arts, Arabic program, assistant principals and Safe Haven funding among top concerns
Summary
During public participation on June 10 speakers—including union leaders, teachers, students and community advocates—urged the board to restore positions and preserve programs. Testimony focused on Shy Arts conservatory programming, possible cuts to assistant principals and reading specialists, the threatened Arabic program at Lincoln Park High, and funding for Safe Haven after‑school sites.
A broad cross‑section of parents, teachers, students and community groups addressed the board during the June 10 public participation period, raising concrete examples of how proposed budget or operational changes would affect classrooms and school communities.
Union leaders opened the public comment period. Dr. Diane Castro, financial secretary of the Chicago Teachers Union, urged the board to reject cuts that remove librarians, counselors, reading specialists and special‑education supports, and criticized past charter closures that left families scrambling. "Any budget that this body considers cannot add to distress in the district," she said.
Speakers from Chicago High School for the Arts (Shy Arts) told the board that proposed staffing and funding changes — including a shift to fewer resident artists and fewer licensed arts teachers — would dismantle the conservatory model. Teacher Avery Faren said consolidating specialized courses is ‘‘not preservation’’ and warned that program integrity will be lost without additional staff and funding. Several teaching artists and parents described partnerships, scholarship pipelines and national opportunities the program supports.
Multiple speakers also urged the board to preserve Lincoln Park High School’s Arabic program, highlighting its long history, advanced‑placement and IB connections and role as one of the few Arabic offerings in the district. Students and community advocates described Arabic as a ‘‘critical‑need language’’ and asked the board to add the program to a future agenda for action.
Representatives of school‑based staff associations and CPAA described proposed eliminations of assistant principal positions at schools under certain enrollment thresholds, saying the moves would remove essential operational and instructional leadership from smaller schools and urging immediate engagement and bargaining.
Providers and participants in the Safe Haven after‑school program — a network of faith‑based and community partners — described the program as a safety net that provides meals, tutoring and extracurriculars after school and during breaks; providers asked for sustained funding and timely contracting to avoid program disruption.
What’s next: The board heard the testimony on the record. Several board members asked staff for more detail on thresholds used to determine staffing changes, and staff said they would follow up with more analysis and consider community feedback in upcoming decisions.
Representative comments (selected): "When specialized courses disappear, that is not preservation," said Avery Faren, Shy Arts teacher. "Arabic is a life skill that helps students succeed," said Noah Hanife of CARES Chicago. "We are the extended arm of the Chicago Public School system," said Maddie Phillips, a Safe Haven program director, urging continued funding for after‑school services.
