Chicago schools lays off 1,000, about half are teachers

Chicago Public Schools will lay off about 1,000 employees, nearly half of whom are teachers.

Officials with the nation’s third-largest school district characterized the layoffs Friday as part of the “normal” yearly staff movement between schools and that they expect most people will be hired for other jobs. CPS has about 1,000 teaching vacancies.

The teacher layoffs include 302 at high schools and 192 at elementary schools. The rest is 352 high school support personnel and 140 elementary school personnel.

CPS officials said the $2.8 billion budget is roughly $140 million less than what schools received in September.

Chicago Teachers Union criticized the layoffs in a statement, saying “the gutting … only weakens schools and puts children at a disadvantage.”