Chicago Public Schools to lay off 530 tutors hired with COVID relief money

CHICAGO - Chicago Public Schools District said it’s laying off 530 tutors who were hired using federal pandemic relief funds in recent years.

The layoffs came in part because a tutoring program that CPS instituted with that funding didn’t have the effect officials had hoped for, according to new research.

CPS tutoring program

What we know:

Last Wednesday, the 530 tutors were told they were being let go as CPS said it’s shifting to a more "targeted" approach to the tutoring program.

Over the past four years, CPS has employed as many as nearly 700 tutors in its "Tutor Corps" to help thousands of students in about 230 schools. The aim was to help students "build confidence" and improve learning gaps in math and literacy.

The district said for next school year, it will focus the tutoring program on sixth through eighth grade math in around 55 schools on the South and West sides. The schools were selected based on students' needs and data showing where the program succeeded.

The last day for the tutors will be May 30.

"These invaluable team members have made a lasting impact on CPS students, and District and school leaders are deeply grateful for their service and commitment to Chicago’s young people. CPS remains committed to supporting tutors through this transition," a CPS spokesperson said in a statement.

The backstory:

The district launched its Tutor Corps in 2021 with about $25 million in federal pandemic relief money to hire as many as 800 tutors.

Eventually, CPS hired hundreds of tutors who worked in most of its schools.

But data, soon to be released by the University of Chicago’s Education Lab, show the program didn’t produce the kind of results that researchers expected, especially since previous studies showed how effective tutoring can be, according to Monica Bhatt, the lab’s senior research director.