Education

Just months after the district shut down 50 schools for being under-utilized, overcrowding is in the spotlight at the Chicago Public Schools. Discussion of overfilled schools dominated Wednesday’s Chicago Board of Education meeting, which included a debate on the future of an overcrowded elementary school in Lincoln Park.

After several parents aired overcrowding concerns during a pubic comment session, Chicago Public Schools Chief Transformation Officer Todd Babbitz said that the issue of schools operating beyond their capacity is a district-wide problem.

Dan Montgomery, president of the Illinois Federation of Teachers, proposed on Monday a “debt free higher education access” plan for Illinois high school students to attend four-year or community colleges in the Land of Lincoln.

The union head said at a City Club of Chicago talk that he wants “a higher education funding mechanism that will allow for any Illinois high school grad with good grades to attend an Illinois public college or university and graduate without debt.”