Walter Payton College Preparatory High School to cut some Latin language programming citing budget restraints, low enrollment

CHICAGO -- Sparked by her deep passion for Harry Potter, Akshara Rajan’s interest in Latin expanded as she delved into the language at Walter Payton College Preparatory High School. She’d chosen the Near North Side-based high school in part because of its robust curriculum and extracurriculars dedicated to the ancient language.

As Rajan and her peers began their summer vacations, they learned that, come fall, Payton’s Latin curriculum would face deep cuts due to budget constraints and low enrollment.

For Rajan, this presents a “terrible prospect” for her junior year, as she fears that her community, “a cornerstone” built around Latin classes and extracurriculars, will fade away.

“If the Latin community dissolves, an integral part of Walter Payton’s community is dissolved and an integral part of my own close circle is dissolved,” she said.

The ripple effect of Chicago Public Schools’ $732.5 million budget deficit is spreading on campuses around the city, as the district has moved to cut teaching staff and some assistant principals. With rising costs and federal pandemic aid dried up, the district’s financial woes are forcing school officials to make tough decisions.

At Walter Payton, one of a handful of schools offering Latin classes, the financial squeeze includes temporarily cutting back its beloved but consistently under-enrolled language program, school officials announced at the end of the academic year.

Within two weeks of the announcement, however, an outpouring of support for the program from parents, students, alumni and community members encouraged school leadership to develop a multiyear plan to restore the Latin curriculum.

Low student enrollment, interest plague Latin program

The school’s Latin program has faced enrollment issues for years, according to CPS data shared with the Tribune.

Out of Walter Payton’s 1,223 students, 72 are enrolled in Latin, roughly 6% of the school. A minimum enrollment of 20 students per class is required at the school, and only 14 students were slated to take upper-level Latin courses in the fall. The Latin program, which historically offered classes from introductory through Advanced Placement, has consistently operated below the school’s enrollment threshold, the district said in a statement. Nine students were registered for AP Latin in the upcoming school year, according to district data.

At a May 29 local school council meeting, Principal Fareeda Shabazz Anderson said her goal is to “preserve programming, to make sure that students still have access to the same courses and content and classes that we typically offer,” but low student interest makes it difficult to justify maintaining a full curriculum.

“We examined the course requests, and I cannot feasibly in this budget climate fully staff a class that does not have at least 75 students in it,” Shabazz Anderson said, adding that most teachers have between 140 and 150 students across all classes.

Consequently, introductory Latin classes will not be offered to incoming freshmen in the fall, and students in upper-level courses will need to enroll in accredited online classes during the school day to continue their studies and prepare for Advanced Placement examinations.

In fall 2027, the introductory Latin I class will return for freshmen, and Latin III will be taught to advancing students, the district said in a statement to the Tribune. In fall 2028, Latin I and II will return as class options.

But even with that multiyear plan to gradually reintroduce some programming, some community members said they worry about the long-term implications for Payton’s Latin curriculum, extracurriculars and funding.

The course shifts will not affect rising junior Rajan much, as she completed AP Latin this spring. Instead, her worries center on the potential loss of community and extracurricular opportunities not only for herself but also for future students who will not have the opportunity to experience Latin. The lack of an entry-level Latin class, even for one year, means fewer people will be involved in the extracurriculars that have shaped her high school experience. “We lose participation until we don’t exist anymore,” Rajan said.

“If this whole incident had happened while I was an eighth grader applying to Walter Payton, I would have ended up reconsidering it as a high school choice almost completely,” Rajan said. “… I know plenty of other freshmen who would have also done the same because they know about the benefits of Latin specifically as a language.”

For Walter Payton rising junior Heidi Warden, who is slated to take Latin III in the fall, the plan to bring back introductory courses in 2027 does not fully alleviate her concerns about the program’s longevity. She worries the program will not exist in five years and that, when faced with a choice, future students will opt to study languages with four-year curricula, she said.

“The issue is just that nobody’s actually going to sign up for a program that only has three years,” Warden said. “… No matter how much we put in the effort to raise enrollment, our efforts aren’t going to be effective if the program isn’t offered for four years and it’s not a stable position.”

But the promise to eventually restore Latin at Walter Payton wasn’t enough for some community members who still voiced concerns about the loss of upper-level classes and staffing, such as Latin IV and the Latin AP curriculum.

Days after school officials announced the plan to maintain Payton’s Latin tradition, a GoFundMe titled “Save Latin at Walter Payton College Prep” with a goal of $72,000 was posted by the Payton Latin Alumni Association. A petition calling for the school to keep the upper-level Latin classes and full-time staffing also continues to circulate. It had more than 1,000 signatures as of Tuesday.

“Our Latin program is more than just learning a language — it opens the opportunity to learn history, the nuances of ancient literature, how to work with others, and surmount rigorous material,” the petition reads. “This program fosters critical thinking, discipline, and a love of learning that transcends the classroom, seen by the Rome trip and vast after-school opportunities.”

Multiple members of the school community told the Tribune they hoped that the GoFundMe would help spur financial support for the program, but said they were later informed by Payton leadership that the donations could not be accepted.

CPS said in a statement to the Tribune that it permits district schools and staff to use board crowdfunding platforms, provided all campaigns receive principal approval and comply with district policies. It added that while it cannot regulate the use of GoFundMe by private parties to raise funds, the use of the crowdfunding platform is explicitly prohibited, and the only board-approved website, as of 2024, is DonorsChoose.

Warden said she hoped fundraising would help keep the program as is. Now, she’s focused on organizing efforts to boost enrollment for future students next school year, she said.

“At least there is hope that if we can get students to start and join the program, then that would be great,” Warden said. “I do feel better knowing there’s at least a plan, and it’s not just being eliminated forever. Obviously, I wish there was a more ideal situation.”