Chicago
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CPS is no longer the nation's third-largest school system, 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 more than doubled 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.
The latest: The Chicago School Board narrowly voted this week to build 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 block $50 million in state funding for the Ickes location if the city doesn't further engage the community on the issue.
The other side: Alds. Pat Dowell (3rd) and Nicole Lee (11th), whose wards are most affected by the school, wrote an op-ed in favor of the new location.
The bottom line: Ald. Lee, who was appointed by Lightfoot in March, is in a tough spot.
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