Chicago Catholic School Students Face Loss of Tutor Support Amid Federal Funding Dispute

In Chicago, a significant shift in educational support has left many parents unsettled, as they learned this week about upcoming changes affecting their children’s schooling. The issue revolves around funding disputes between Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Archdiocese, leading to uncertain outcomes for numerous students.

Due to a shortfall in federal funding, over 800 students in Chicago are on the brink of losing access to specialized tutoring services. The responsibility for the funding lapse remains unclear, leaving families in a challenging position as they seek alternative solutions.

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Among those affected is Javi Perez, a five-year-old student diagnosed with autism. Javi’s education at a Catholic school is supplemented by tutoring from several specialists, all funded through federal resources. This support not only integrates him into the regular classroom setting but also provides him with the essential academic assistance he requires, according to his mother, Kinberlyn Esparza Perez.

The Perez family recently received the disconcerting news that this vital funding has been depleted, meaning that starting Monday, Javi will no longer receive tutoring for the remainder of the year. Javi and his siblings have all been students at Saint Ann School in Pilsen, where this support has been a crucial part of their education.

Although the instructional support services are financed by federal funds, the administration of these funds falls under the jurisdiction of Chicago Public Schools. This administrative role has added complexity to the situation, as families now face uncertainty over how their children’s educational needs will be met moving forward.

While the funding for the instructional support services comes from the federal government, it is administered by Chicago Public Schools.

“We don’t run the program. We don’t receive the funds for the program,” Archdiocese school superintendent Greg Richmond said. “We try to stay in touch with CPS to be helpful and know what’s going on.”

Richmond says the cost for the program for the two months until the end of the school year is about $1.2 million. It affects 833 students who will lose their special instruction.

The Archdiocese says CPS is singling them out by cutting their funding, but not other private schools. But CPS says in a statement that it is the archdiocese that has overspent the funds budgeted for the program.

In a statement CPS sas, “Throughout the current fiscal year, District officials repeatedly alerted Catholic school administrators that their spending trajectory was outpacing the funding allocation; they were on track to exhaust their allocated share of federal funds before the end of the school year.”

“They told us March 25,” Richmond said. “The services would continue through the end of the year. And then out of the blue we were told they were ending today.”

Meanwhile, Kinberlyn says the tutoring makes it possible for Javi to be in a regular classroom. She says now going to be difficult for her son to finish the school year.

“I believe it’s going to have a big impact on his learning, his behavior. So it’s very concerning,” she said.

Archdiocese officials say they are prepared to do what they need to do to try to restore funding, and if necessary, that means going to court.