Education
ChiArts Board Won’t Renew High School’s Contract With CPS
(Credit: Chicago High School for the Arts)
The future of Chicago High School for the Arts is suddenly in question after officials say they won’t seek to renew their contract with Chicago Public Schools following this year.
Citing financial issues, the Board of Directors overseeing Chicago’s only public arts high school informed the school district earlier this week that it would not submit a renewal application to continue managing the school beyond the 2025-26 academic year.
The privately run school will remain open throughout the current school year and while the board intends to work with CPS to support ChiArts’ long-term financial sustainability, no immediate decisions have been made about the school’s long-term future.
“CPS and the ChiArts Board are committed to ensuring that students currently enrolled at ChiArts will be supported in completing their high school education without disruption,” a district spokesperson said in a statement.
Opened in 2009, the West Side, arts-focused high school has around 550 mostly Latino and Black students currently enrolled, according to CPS data. According to CPS, students must audition for admission in one of five areas — creative writing, dance, music, theater and visual arts — and are admitted based on their potential for success in their chosen art.
ChiArts received a two-year renewal term last year, though it is currently on financial remediation because it received a “Does Not Meet Standards” rating in financial and operational performance during that renewal cycle.
“We are deeply grateful for your partnership, resilience, and belief in the transformative power of arts education,” the school’s executive director Tina Boyer Brown and principal Néstor Corona said in a letter to families. “Together, we will continue to honor ChiArts’ of transforming lives through creativity, community, and opportunity.
In the letter, they said ChiArts leadership is working “hand in hand with CPS to secure a long-term solution” to continue the school’s “unique conservatory model.” They’re planning to hold a pair of parent meetings next week.
ChiArts Foundation, the high school’s philanthropic partner, said it remains committed to supporting “the pre-professional conservatory model that makes ChiArts extraordinary.”
“We are deeply grateful to our donors, partners, and the broader Chicago community for standing with ChiArts during this transition and for believing in the transformative power of arts education,” the foundation said in a statement.
CPS said any decisions that are made about the school’s future will require “more review, conversations, and collaboration.” The district pledged to continue collaborating with the ChiArts Board of Directors, school leadership, staff, students, and families throughout this process.
“Our shared priority is to ensure that students’ learning experiences remain consistent, their artistic and academic opportunities continue to grow, and families stay informed as decisions are made,” the CPS spokesperson said.
The Chicago Teachers Union said it stands with the ChiArts community in “demanding transparency, stability, and a concrete plan for their school.”
“This kind of instability sends a painful message to every member of our school community and especially to our young people: that they are not valued, their schools are temporary, and their futures are uncertain,” CTU President Stacy Davis Gates said in a statement Friday. “Chicago’s young people deserve permanent commitments, not failed business plans and fickle investors.”
