WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, President Barack Obama’s former Chief of Staff, has approved the firing of almost 1,500 teachers and staff from the city’s public schools, according to media reports.
The firings were revealed when the Chicago public schools system announced its controversial $5.7 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2016 on Monday that includes a $200 million cut in resources, including payments for staff and a $1.1 billion annual deficit, the reports said.
The deficit has expanded because of the soaring costs of entitlements and a historic $1.1 billion budget deficit driven by rapidly rising pension payments.
However, many of the fired teachers may be rehired for other positions in the school system to fill 1,450 vacancies, according to media.
The budget assumes that the Illinois State legislature will approve a further $500 million in cuts from the pensions’ burden, but if they do not, the Chicago public schools may have to fire many more teachers and staff, media said.
In July 2015, Chicago Board of Education announced it would release $1.16 billion in new bonds to raise revenue for the Chicago public schools.
The school system has also urged all its teachers to accept an effective pay cut of 7 percent pay cut, but the city’s teachers union has rejected it and threatened a full-scale strike if there is any attempt to implement it.
