The following article was selected from the Internet Edition of the Chicago Tribune. To visit the site, point your browser to http://chicagotribune.com/. ----------- Chicago Tribune Article Forwarding---------------- Article forwarded by: Michael Lach Return e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Article URL: http://chicagotribune.com/news/metro/chicago/article/0,2669,ART-50389,FF.html ---Forwarded article---------------- Vallas outlines summer student job program By Aamer Madhani Despite a reduction in federal and state funding for the city's youth summer jobs program, Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas announced today that the school system would be hiring students to do some of the work that in the past has been contracted out to professionals. At a news conference at Englewood Technical Preparatory Academy, a high school on the South Side, Vallas said that student-training programs in some of the city's high schools would be used to do some of the painting, carpentry and catering work that needs to be done at city schools this summer. In some cases, students will be hired to do work in conjunction with professional contractors, Vallas said. In addition, he said some students would be hired as teacher aides and to assist in running summer computer camps. The school system has allocated $5 million to hire 5,200 students to work summer jobs, apprenticeships and internships. Last summer, the system spent roughly the same amount to employ 6,000 students. Overall, about 18,000 Chicago Public Schools students were employed last year through the summer jobs program working for the city, schools or community organizations. But as a result of a $6 million reduction in state and federal funding for the program, there will only be 15,000 jobs available this summer. "Clearly, the federal government has not stepped up to the plate, but the mayor doesn't want to make excuses," Vallas said. Last month, about 200 students protested the cuts at City Hall and called on Mayor Richard Daley to reallocate city money to hire as many as 22,000 students. Instead, 14-year-old students who were eligible for minimum wage jobs in the past will have to settle for internships in which they can earn a $400 summer stipend. School and city officials said paying a stipend, instead of minimum wages, would allow 2,000 more 14-year-olds to take part in the summer program. "As a city, we want to say that a lack of state funding and a lack of federal funding is not going to prevent us from putting our kids to work this summer," said Beverly J. Walker, the city's chief of human infrastructure. -- This is the CPS Science Teacher List. To unsubscribe, send a message to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For more information: <http://home.sprintmail.com/~mikelach/subscribe.html>. To search the archives: <http://www.mail-archive.com/science%40lists.csi.cps.k12.il.us/>
