The Park District’s after-school program in Lincoln Park is so popular that parents wait in line overnight to reserve spots for their children. Yet in August the Park District cut the number of kids it would take by a third. “Where are our tax dollars going if they can’t keep an after-school program open?” asks Gaylon Topps Alcaraz, whose 11-year-old daughter is now on the waiting list for the program. “What are working parents supposed to do?”
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According to a budget analysis by Friends of the Parks, a watchdog group, the Park District has a budget of $351 million a year, $87 million of which goes to pay off loans–up from $60 million in 2002. Not wanting to raise taxes significantly to fill the gap, it has cut programs and cut staff at almost every park in the city over the past two years. The arts and crafts program at Warren Park has been cut, as have the music and theater program at Indian Boundary Park, the wood-shop program at Calumet Park, the senior center at Abbott Park, and the arts and crafts program at Hamlin Park. Staff cuts have led Welles Park to end open hours at the indoor basketball court. Staff cuts at Union Park have meant the basketball and tennis courts and the game room are usually locked, and the outdoor swimming pool has limited hours.
“Why have a park if it’s off-limits to the community? It’s bizarre,” says Morgan. “I understand you have to have a staff to run a park. So hire the staff, offer some programs.”
“There’s a reason parents line up to get in–it’s very good,” says Alcaraz. “I love the staff. They’re very child friendly.”
“Where are their priorities?” says Alcaraz. “I’m a single mom with two jobs.”
“If you think about it, the hiring process takes time,” she says. “You have to post it, do interviews, run background checks, fingerprinting.”
