The Archdiocese of Chicago accused Chicago Public Schools on Friday of abruptly pulling instructional support funding for more than 800 students with disabilities in Catholic schools.
CPS informed the archdiocese last week that services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, would end two months before the last day of school, according to the archdiocese. Funding would stop Monday.
“The decision by CPS to end these services means students with learning differences will lose important academic support services, such as tutoring in math, reading and writing,” the archdiocese said in a statement.
But a CPS spokesperson disputed the archdiocese’s account, calling its claims “patently false.” District officials said they had repeatedly warned Catholic school administrators that their spending was outpacing their allotted funds.
The archdiocese operates nearly 150 Catholic schools in the Chicago area. Though the students attend private schools, they are entitled to federally funded support services under IDEA.
CPS distributes the funding to Catholic schools within its attendance boundaries. That money can go to services such as specialized instruction, classroom aides or assistive technology.
According to CPS, it was the archdiocese’s decision to wind down academic intervention services due to funding constraints. Catholic school administrators “exercised (their) independent authority” and chose to stop using contracted instructional support services, the district said.
CPS said it has been “proactive and transparent in the duty of distributing funds.”
This fiscal year, the district received $115.9 million in IDEA million funding. Nationally, IDEA funding has remained relatively flat over the past decade, even as the share of students with disabilities has grown.
“Like school districts across the country, CPS is forced to manage a finite pool of resources against an infinite rise in demand,” the district said.
Still, the archdiocese said it will pursue legal action or alert regulatory agencies if funding is not restored. Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, the archbishop of Chicago, called the situation an “offense by CPS.”
The archdiocese also said the situation raises “serious questions about whether these funds have been properly managed” and “serious constitutional concerns,” arguing Catholic schools had been singled out.
“We cannot allow this shocking and possibly discriminatory action by CPS to stand, not only given its affront to Catholics, but even more so since this injustice would disenfranchise the students we serve,” Cupich said.