Chicago, Illinois-based Chicago Public School District, the governing body of the City of Chicago schools, has announced a reduction in force.
The reduction affected 161 employees, including 67 from the Central Office and Network Offices, and the school district left 209 positions vacant. The decision was driven by the need to fill a projected $734 million budget shortfall.
According to the school district, "Together, we’ve been identifying ways to be more efficient and find cost savings across our central offices and administrative functions, always with the goal of better supporting schools and students. In addition to position reductions, the district has also implemented cuts to contractual services and other non-personnel expenses to further limit the impact on school communities. The District remains committed to open communication moving forward and acknowledges the thoughtful and difficult work undertaken by teams across the organization to ensure these decisions have the least possible impact on students."
Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life, nor promises of a bright future. We see good people being laid off through no fault of their own. Just because something terrible hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, at any time, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. While many employees can read the writing on the wall, why do most assume it’s targeted at someone else? Are you now wondering, Am I Next?