Student clubs remain strong at Taft HS despite budget cuts

by BRIAN NADIG

Budget cuts for after-school programming, attendance and lines for metal detector searches were among the issues discussed at the Sept. 9 meeting of the Taft High School Local School Council.

Two years ago Taft received $442,000 for its “out of school time” programming, while it dropped to $170,636 last year and $64,545 for the entire 2025-26 school year, the latter of which is about $5,500 less than what Taft received for its summer programs.

Out of school time allocations are for personnel and other expenses related to extracurricular activities, not including sports. Athletics are covered under a separate budget.

“This is drastic, (but) we’ll be fine. The school expected it,” principal Ryan Glowacz told the LSC.

Taft planned for the budget cuts, and “student experiences” will remain unchanged from last school year, Glowacz said. “We had set funds aside, anticipating this.”

Taft also is fortunate to have many staff members who go beyond the call of duty when it comes to working with student clubs, Glowacz said. The school has about 115 clubs.

Ideally Taft requires about $500,000 for “robust” extracurricular programming given its enrollment of around 4,300 students, Glowacz said. The 2024 budget included a large amount of “COVID-19 dollars” that are no longer available, he said.

Also at the meeting, a parent LSC member asked Glowacz if the school has experienced a drop in attendance due to concerns about increased deportation efforts in the Chicago area.

Glowacz said that while attendance rates in general have declined across the city since the pandemic, Taft has not had a noticeable drop due to deportation concerns. However, he said that Taft did have a “sad” case in which a student never enrolled because the family would not give their address.

Also, LSC student representatives expressed concern about delays students face when waiting to go through a metal detector after the start of the school day.

Currently students are randomly searched until the start of the school day, while late-arriving students are typically required to go through a metal detector.

Student LSC member Jack Matheis said that there have been reports of 20-minute waits, causing students to be further late to class.

Student council member Julia Bobak said that she noticed a 10-minute wait one day.

Glowacz said that he might consider pushing back the time required searches start in an effort to reduce waits.

Ultimately the school’s best safety feature is creating a culture in which students feel comfortable reporting a threat or potential problem, Glowacz said. Over the years the school has become aware of a security threat, including some online postings, because students or parents notify the administration, he said.

It also was reported that some art students have expressed concerns about the school’s use of AI-generated posters in the hallway.

Matheis said that the students feel the school should instead be taking advantage of its in-house student talent to create posters.

The LSC is seeking a Taft parent to fill a vacancy on the council.

An application packet must be submitted by 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26, to the school’s main office. A copy also should be submitted to lscrelations@cps.edu. More information is available at www.tafthighschool.org.

Applicants also are being asked to address the LSC at its meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 14, at the freshman campus, 4071 N. Oak Park Ave.

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