Private Support of Chicago Public Schools Continues to Grow

Faced with ballooning costs and stagnant public-sector funding, the Chicago Public Schools system increasingly is looking to private and corporate donors for financial support, the Chicago Tribune reports.

According to school-district data, private groups and individuals contributed more than $23 million to the school system during the past fiscal year, compared with only $2 million five years ago. Over the same period, the Seattle-based Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation awarded grants totaling $9 million for high school reform in Chicago, while the Chicago Public Education Fund contributed more than $100,000 to help teachers improve their skills. In addition, $2.5 million was raised in 2005 to open new Renaissance 2010 schools, while existing charter schools raised at least $6 million more on their own.

While contributions from private and corporate donors represent a fraction of the system's $5.3 billion annual budget, Chicago school administrators say private funding is an important catalyst for reform. "With the state and federal money we get, we are simply in survival mode," said Arne Duncan, the schools' chief. "Without [private money], we'd have no money left over to try some new, wonderful approaches."

Nevertheless, some community activists worry that private groups are buying influence with their contributions, while others fear the city's school system could become too dependent on outside funding, which would be difficult to replace if it dried up. One such critic, Don Moore, head of the watchdog group Designs for Change, also worries that private money is not going to the schools that need it most. "I worry that this will set an unrealistic model for what our other schools can do working under the normal allotment of resources," he said. "In some ways, we are creating schools that cannot be replicated, but the implication is that by privatizing things, we are improving public education."

Despite the criticism, foundation leaders appreciate the fact that Duncan and his staff have focused on critical issues. "We are perfectly able to drive money where we think there will be an impact," said Ellen Alberding, president of the Chicago-based Joyce Foundation, which has awarded $4 million this year to improve classroom teaching in local schools. "But it's good to have someone in the system who understands the intellectual framework."

Banchero, Stephanie. “Private Donors Shore Up Schools.” Chicago Tribune 10/01/06.

Primary Subject: Education
Secondary Subject(s): Elementary and Secondary Education
Location(s): Chicago, Illinois

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