School scuffle in Chicago's Near South Side - Axios ChicagoLog InLog InAxios Chicago is an Axios company.

Near South Side school scuffle

Population in Chicago's Chinatown has more than doubled over the last three decades. Photo: Monica Eng/Axios CPS is no longer the nation's , according to new enrollment data that puts Chicago behind the Miami-Dade district. Why it matters: Lower enrollment can mean reduced funding, and this is the 11th straight year the student body has shrunk at CPS. The intrigue: The enrollment news comes as factions quarrel over the need for a new high school near Chinatown — a rare Chicago community in that the population has in three decades. What's happening: Chinatown residents have been asking for decades for a local high school to serve the cultural and language needs of area families. Nearby South Loop residents also , as the area's middle schools are "bursting at the seams," Mayor Lori Lightfoot said. The latest: The Chicago School Board the high school on a lot at the former Harold Ickes public housing complex at 24th and State — between the South Loop and Chinatown. Yes, but: State Rep. Theresa Mah, who represents Chinatown and supports building a new school, said Tuesday she'd for the Ickes location if the city doesn't further engage the community on the issue. She cited a based on CPS memos that suggest the location would hurt nearby majority Black schools and students. The city says it won't. In a , Mah writes that the move to build on former CHA land could deepen the divide between the local Chinese and Black communities. The other side: Alds. Pat Dowell (3rd) and Nicole Lee (11th), whose wards are most affected by the school, in favor of the new location.Lightfoot has said she expects the state will fully fund the project, despite Rep. Mah's intention to block the money. District official say they will use $70 million school that was never built. CPS says it plans "continued engagement with impacted community members." The bottom line: Ald. Lee, who was , is in a tough spot. She tells Axios that she knows her Chinatown constituents aren't all in favor of the location, but she sees it as "a net win for a community that has been seeking a local high school for decades." Get more local stories in your inbox with .Subscribe Support local journalism by becoming a member.

More Chicago stories

No stories could be found Get a free daily digest of the most important news in your backyard with Axios Chicago.Subscribe Support local journalism by becoming a member.