Introduction to the Crisis
HUMBOLDT PARK — ChiArts students, parents and teachers are shocked and upset about the art school board’s decision not to renew its contract with Chicago Public Schools due to financial strain, putting the school’s future in limbo.
The Impact on Students and Parents
The news, announced last week, has created uncertainty among teachers, parents and students at Chicago High School for the Arts, who hope CPS can save Chicago’s only arts-focused public high school from potentially closing. The board’s decision opens up old wounds for Rousemary Vega, a ChiArts parent whose daughter is a freshman studying acting. Vega, of Humboldt Park, was a vocal critic of CPS closing Lafayette Elementary in 2013, the building at 2714 W. Augusta Blvd. now occupied by ChiArts.
Personal Stories of Affected Students
Vega’s daughter, 15-year-old Zamara Ramos, was 2 years old when Lafayette closed; it would have been her neighborhood school. Getting to attend ChiArts as a teenager, and in her own neighborhood, made for an exciting start to her high school experience. Now, Ramos is worried it will be taken away. “This school means a lot to a lot of people, and I don’t want to see it go down in crumbles again, because this school, it’s legendary,” Ramos told reporters Friday outside the school. Ramos, who was bullied at her previous school, said she has found her community and made lasting friends at ChiArts, which in turn has helped her open up and feel comfortable as a performer.
The School’s Current Situation
ChiArts is a privately managed contract school funded by CPS and private donors that’s been open for 15 years. It enrolls about 550 students across the city, most of them Black and Hispanic, according to CPS data. The students get an academic and arts education. Olivia Bonilla, a freshman studying music, hopes ChiArts stays open as an arts conservatory. Like Ramos, she said she chose the school to pursue her passion — and because as a public high school, it’s free. “ChiArts is not only a school; it’s a community. So many students in here seem so happy to be in this school,” said Bonilla, of Garfield Park. If it were to close, Bonilla worries that many students “don’t even know where to go after this.”
Protests and Concerns
The students were among dozens who attended an hourslong sit-in at the school Friday in front of the administration’s office. Many had signs that read, “This is our home,” and “Save ChiArts,” according to photos shared with Block Club. Ramos and Bonilla said administration came out and talked to students but didn’t answer their questions about funding and what students could do to keep the school open. After students returned to class Friday, Principal Nestor Corona exited the school with security and declined to answer reporters’ questions.
ChiArts parent Rousemary Vega speaks with school principal Néstor Corona outside the Humboldt Park arts school, 2714 W. Augusta Blvd., on Oct. 3, 2025, the day after finding out the school’s art board voted not to renew its contract with CPS amid funding challenges. Credit: Ariel Parrella-Aureli/Block Club Chicago
Teacher’s Perspective
A teacher who spoke to Block Club anonymously for fear of retribution from ChiArts administration said the board’s decision was not surprising, given recent administration’s “negligence to including the community in these large decisions,” she said. “I feel a sense of determination to fight for our school, especially as a school that is an important safe space for our queer students, but frustrated that we were not included this in this decision,” the teacher said. “They’re cutting us off at the knees.”
History of Challenges
In recent years, ChiArts has struggled with disorganized leadership and staff turnover, budget shortfalls and layoffs that almost led to a teacher strike in 2023. Like charter schools, ChiArts has its own independent board. The school’s contract was renewed last year by CPS for a two-year term and is currently on financial remediation until 2026. CPS only supported a two-year recommendation because the school received a “Does Not Meet Standards” rating in the financial and operational performance criteria.
Response from the School and CPS
In a letter sent last week to families and staff, Executive Director Tina Boyer Brown and Corona alerted the community about the board’s vote, calling it a “very difficult decision.”
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