On May 6, 2024, parents, staff, and high school students received an email from University of Chicago Laboratory Schools Director Victoria Jueds where she revealed a number of measures intended to cut costs. The cuts included the elimination of the German language program and a number of competitive individual sports, including squash and sailing. It was the “institution’s [University] philosophy that all units should share equitably in the institution’s financial recovery,” Jueds wrote.

The decision sparked immediate outrage and disappointment from the Lab community, which is deeply interwoven with the University at large, with at least 50 percent of the Lab Schools’ 2,200 students having a parent employed by the University.

Three days after the announcement, members of the Lab community began protests on campus in opposition to the cuts.

Approaching one year since Lab announced these changes, Grey City took a deep dive to understand the impact of the cuts on students, teachers, staff, and administration. The situation has left members of the Lab community concerned about whether the Lab Schools’ administration adequately balances its financial and academic responsibilities.

A “laboratory for pedagogical research” rooted in student-centered principles

The story of the Lab Schools starts in 1894, when William Rainey Harper, the University’s first president, convinced John Dewey, an up-and-coming philosopher and educational theorist, to become the Head of the Philosophy Department at the newly founded University of Chicago. Harper wanted to offer a complete education, from kindergarten to graduate school, built around the belief that learning was an organic and self-organized process. In Harper’s plan, Dewey saw the opportunity to test his educational theories. In 1896, the “Dewey School” was born as a “laboratory for pedagogical research,” as described by a 1996 exhibit at the Regenstein Special Collections.

This small elementary school on 57^th Street was at the forefront of progressive education, a movement that emphasized “learning by doing” through collaborative hands-on activities. The exhibition catalog gives an example from the 1910s when, in a French class, students might find themselves learning practical vocabulary by reading and executing a recipe in French.

Between 1901 and 1903, the University acquired four different Chicagoan institutions, including Francis Wayland Parker’s Chicago Institute, another progressive school. Their merging became the University of Chicago School of Education, a K-12 school. In Parker and Dewey’s words as recounted in the catalog, its mission was to be “an embryonic democracy,” granting students the “instruments of effective self-direction.”

While Parker died in 1902 and Dewey left the Lab Schools two years later, their conviction that students were active learners who should shape their education remained ingrained in the school’s fabric over the following decades. In the 1950s, the school’s name changed to the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, highlighting its initial character of an experimental environment for UChicago’s researchers to advance their research. Today, the Lab Schools still emphasize this legacy on their website: “Nestled within the rich academic tapestry of the University of Chicago, our schools continue to serve as living laboratories where groundbreaking educational theories are tested and refined.

The Lab Schools and the University’s financial recovery

The Lab Schools and the University not only share an educational philosophy, but they are also financially intertwined. The Lab Schools’ senior administration works directly with the University provost and budget office, as well as an advisory board to create the budget for each fiscal year, according to Jueds.

While Jueds explained that 96 percent of the Lab Schools’ budget is separate from the University, a portion of its revenue comes indirectly from the University due to the makeup of the student body. University-affiliated staff receive tuition remission benefits, which accounted for 32.5 percent of Lab’s funding in FY 2022 according to that year’s philanthropy report. Tuition at the Lab Schools has steadily increased in the past years from roughly $40,486 in 2023 to $44,592 in 2025.

In the May 6 email the Lab Schools’ community received about the budget cuts, Jueds wrote: “University leaders have devised a four-year recovery plan. Lab is participating in that plan.” She added that Lab’s budget guidelines for FY25 therefore reflected the University’s financial goals to “grow revenue and cut expenses.”

It has been an open secret for years among the University community that their financial issues had begun to affect instruction. The University now operates, as most recently reported, at a $221 million budget deficit. As the Lab Schools function as a unit of the University, it is unsurprising that they would also be expected to bear part of the burden.

As the cut programs are being phased out, the changes that come with them will be spread across the next few years. This has led some to view the cuts as superfluous, as there will be no visible immediate change to Lab’s operational costs.

“Whatever savings there are, they’re way down the road,” said David Meltzer, a Lab parent and Fanny L. Pritzker Professor of Medicine at UChicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine. “So it’s not really responsive to the budget crisis anyways.”

Many other departments within the University have faced similar budgetary challenges. In November 2023, Professor Clifford Ando released a report detailing some of the issues he saw in the University’s attempts to decrease spending and increase revenue. Ando reported this has led to hiring freezes, limits on research spending, as well as fewer Core requirements being taught by tenure-track faculty.

“German is this tiny cohort that is their home”

German has been embedded in the Lab Schools’ curriculum and history since their early days. As mentioned in the exhibition catalog, it first appeared as an extracurricular around 1907 through the German club. As early as 1917, German was taught at the Lab Schools. After the Second World War, Gregor Hagen brought new life to German teaching at Lab by starting the current program.

The recent cut of the German program is not the first of its kind in Lab history. Over the course of its time at Lab, according to Jueds, the program had been cut and revived on two other occasions.

“School programs need to evolve,” Jueds wrote in an email to the Maroon. “Lab no longer teaches a variety of subjects which were once in our program of studies; conversely, we have taken on new subjects and units of study as they have become relevant and necessary for our students.”

The German program has always been one of the smaller language programs at Lab—with currently only about 60 students enrolled across all grade levels. Because this ends up equating to one class per grade level, the students become very close with each other over the course of ten years together in the same classroom, according to Susanne Pralle, who has been teaching German at the Lab Schools for 16 years.

“German is this tiny cohort that is their home,” said Pralle. “They know each other really well, and furthermore, they’re incredibly supportive of one another.”

The Lab Schools also hosts a popular exchange program, said by German students to be a significant part of the German program’s appeal. The exchange program allows students to spend a few weeks in Germany the summer before they begin high school. As the ability to communicate is integral to the pedagogical philosophy of the German instructors, the opportunity for students to immerse themselves fully in German language and culture is a loss they are all mourning.

“I think just the opportunity to be completely immersed in that culture with such a small and tight-knit group was, at least for me, a life-changing experience,” said Adam Tapper, a junior who participated in the exchange program in 2023.

Some of the German teachers had foreseen how low enrollment could potentially affect the German program. Pralle previously suggested alternatives to how the Lab Schools handles language program selection for students. Instead of always granting a student’s first choice, she proposed asking for a ranking of their choices and organizing the sections accordingly to balance enrollment. She argued that it would also help students in large language classes, such as Spanish with its 28 student sections, to receive more personalized guidance.

However, the administration did not support this approach. “We think that first choice should mean first choice,” Jueds said.

“It saddens me because I recognize how good our program is, and I would have wished for more support from our administration as our numbers did dwindle,” Pralle said.

One aspect of the budget cuts that frustrated students and parents was their suddenness. They describe not knowing that any academic programs were under consideration for elimination until they were already gone. Administrators describe extensive internal discussions intended to limit the potential repercussions.

“During all of those deliberations, my colleagues and I were very careful to put ourselves in the shoes of every affected constituency. How would this be experienced? What are the factors to consider?” Jueds said. “How might we mitigate the downside of the effects on members of our community?”

 Minutes before the announcement of the cuts: an internal communication breakdown

On May 6, 2024, the first day of Teacher Appreciation Week, the Lab Schools’ three German teachers received an email from the director’s assistant summoning them to individual meetings after class.

Marianne Zemil, who has been teaching German at the Lab Schools for 27 years, said she sensed what was coming: “Having been in business before this [being a teacher], I know that when you are told that someone wants to meet with you and you are not asked if that works for your schedule, that does not mean that there is good news coming.”

The meetings were scheduled fifteen minutes apart according to seniority, so Zemil’s was the last one. She was shocked when the director told her about the administration’s decision to cut the German program. The teachers had never been approached beforehand about the financial issues nor asked to find solutions, she said. “It has been just handed down from above.” She said that, as a problem-solver, “the decision just didn’t sit right with me.”

Minutes after leaving the meeting, as Zemil was in the elevator returning to her office, she received the school-wide email that officially announced the cuts to the Lab Schools’ community.

“I can understand that there’s a certain timing to the way things have to go. It’s just, when it happens to you that way, it does not feel good,” Zemil said regarding this chain of events.

Jueds explained that this decision was made with “regret, especially because we value and care deeply about the affected students and teachers.” She added that “the timing of communications was also carefully considered.”

Pralle highlighted that the administration’s communication about the cuts could have been “more thoughtfully done.” She pointed out the informational disparity between the teachers and the families in the days following the announcement: “We three German teachers were never included in any of that information, and so we only found out from behind. What was communicated to us is that, as of 2024, we would not be guaranteed another year of teaching.”

After the May 6 email, Pralle reached out to the administration about the implications of the system they had designed to phase out the German program. The initial email reported that with this organization, “all current German students will be able to complete all of the German courses offered in the division they will be in next year:” elementary school and middle school students would have to start a new language in middle school and high school respectively and high school students would continue studying German until their graduation.

However, Pralle remarked that middle school students would not achieve an AP level if they had to start learning a new language in high school. In another email on May 11, the administration shared changes to its initial policy to also allow seventh and eighth graders to continue studying German until their graduation. Meanwhile, sixth graders will have to start learning a new language again. Pralle wished that the administration would let all current German students, regardless of grade, finish the program: “Kneecapping students while they’re in the middle of the program is, I think, wrong.”

Both Pralle and Zemil have reported that since the cuts, communication between the German teachers and the administration has remained challenging. “It has not been the easiest. The administration at the school has not been particularly forthcoming with us,” Pralle said. As she will no longer be employed by the Lab Schools as of July 2025, she cited difficulties to even obtain clear information about benefits, severance, and other human relations topics.

Zemil shared that teachers had not been systematically included on recent emails with updated information about the German program, which led to questions from parents that they could not answer. “I think people send out emails with maybe one purpose and then they don’t realize that it also impacts other people,” she said. After meeting with the administration to resolve this issue, she said that their position on the cuts remained unchanged: “It was made clear in that meeting—not that it wasn’t clear to me before—that the administration feels that this is a final decision.”

Protests and acceptance: German students react to the cut of the program

On May 6, when they learned about the cuts after school, many German students recall feeling shock and sadness.

“When my mom told me, I burst into tears, and this one student said their dinner was covered in tears when they heard,” Zoe Oakes, a fifth grader, said.

While high school students learned they would be able to finish the program, they still felt disappointed on behalf of younger students. “We felt that it was a little unfair to rob younger students of this [the German program] and have them switch into classes where they would be behind other students in terms of language,” Tapper said.

Despite their initial sadness, most students refused to give up on the German program. On May 9, along with parents and alumni, middle school students organized a protest against the cuts. The following day, approximately twenty high school and middle school students marched around the U-High building. Tapper, who was one of the march’s organizers, said that its aim was “to show that people were upset about that decision [eliminating the German program].” They chanted slogans including “German is our choice, hear our voice.” Other student advocacy efforts included walkouts and protest rallies before school started.

Oakes participated in the latter in the spring with her parents, holding signs on school grounds half an hour before the start of lower school classes at 8:15 a.m. It was a combined protest rally that drew about 50 people who were against the cuts affecting the sports program and the German Program.

“I feel like it was important because it’s a free country, and I feel like we might have a chance to get German back if they saw us,” Oakes said.

Sonia Meltzer, Meltzer’s daughter, who is another fifth grader studying German, was also there with her parents. She emphasized that the protest was not “disruptive” as class had not started. “It was just kind of fun to be there and show our opinions,” she said, regarding her motivation to protest.

However, teachers and students reported that the administration remained unresponsive about its decision to cut the German program.

“The response from the administration has been to say, ‘you’re kind of wasting your time because this is a done deal’ which, I think, flies in the face of our mission to educate and empower young people to speak up and demand what should be rightfully theirs,” said Pralle, whose seventh graders organized a walkout.

Tapper also doubted the march could have changed the decision but noted the necessary conversations it sparked within the community: “I’m not sure how much impact that [the march] had. But I do think that it made people start questioning why the specific programs that were cut were cut.”

Pralle stated that students still pursue their advocacy efforts, for example, by writing letters asking the administration to rethink its decision and find solutions to continue the program. However, almost one year after the announcement of the cuts, many students must grapple with the current reality that the program will end.

“We try to forget that it’s going to get cut because it’s not going to do us any good. But there is one thing that will do us any good, to keep learning German. We don’t want to waste our time lingering over the fact that it probably won’t be able to go on,” Sonia Meltzer said. She explained that she understands the necessity of the cuts even if it saddens her to have to stop studying German. She is looking forward to switching to Chinese next year.

For other students, the cut of the German program has created lasting concerns. Among them is the fear that it will create a precedent.

“I’m worried that if I take French, it will be cut next,” said Oakes, who intends to switch to the French program in sixth grade. After German is cut, French is the next smallest language program at the Lab Schools.

Although high school students can finish the program, the new minimum enrollment requirement for German to be offered in a grade has been a source of anxiety. “There is the worry that if one person drops, then they won’t run German for my class next year,” said Tapper, who has seen the number of juniors studying German drop from eight to five.

All students have shared that they still appreciate their Lab education but that the cuts will definitely leave their mark. “It’s a really fun experience, but I would say to look out for this stuff [budget cuts affecting programs], because I didn’t,” said Oakes.

Sonia Meltzer advised future students in a similar situation to think positively. “If you are in a program that does get cut, don’t overreact about it, because you still have other classes that you will like. […] It may be very sad, it will sting for a little bit, but that doesn’t mean the people who are cutting it are trying to hurt you.”

“Picking up the pieces”: trying to save the German program

Within days of the announcements of cuts to the German program, more than 200 members of the Lab community banded together to advocate for the preservation of the program. Current Lab parents, alumni from the German program, former Lab parents, and parents with prospective German students started looking for solutions.

“Our community is so committed to this program that we would do our best to try to find a way for it to continue with or without the school, but we want it to be with the school,” Kate Oakes, Zoe Oakes’ mother, said.

Beyond the protests they attended and helped organize, parents, especially Oakes and Meltzer, started compiling signatures and testimonials of the importance of the German program. The final product is 121 pages long and has been endorsed by many members of UChicago’s faculty. In June, Oakes and Meltzer shared the petition with the administration. They said they never received a response. However, Jueds wrote in an email to the Maroon that she “responded personally to every piece of correspondence I received from University community members on this subject [the budget cuts].”

Oakes and Meltzer also led a fundraising effort by asking families and individuals what they would pledge to give to cover the costs of preserving the program for all current students. The amount pledged exceeded their hopes, reaching about $800,000, enough to even fund future cohorts. However, Oakes and Meltzer said that the administration stated that they appreciated their dedication but politely declined the offer. “In general, Lab does not accept donations to run programs or classes which we would not otherwise be inclined to pursue,” Jueds stated.

Both were surprised and saddened by the administration’s unwillingness to engage, or even meet with them, regarding the German program. “The school’s motto is ‘you belong here,’ and they’re all about inclusivity, but we’re not being included,” said Oakes. For Meltzer, this situation clashes with the University’s emphasis on dialogue: “It just surprised me, being in a university where we talk about problems, try to understand them, and find solutions.”

“I understand that some members of our community do not feel heard, but that is not the case,” Jueds said, highlighting that she “met with a few individuals and held an open discussion and Q&A at the beginning of the school year.”

Despite these setbacks, they continue to pursue their initiatives and plan to send another letter to the administration advocating to keep the German program running. Meltzer’s commitment is deep-rooted in his experience with the German program, both as a former alum and parent of a current German student. “I want to help the place stay special and serve our kids and this program is a meaningful part of that,” he said.

Failure to defend the German program raises long-term concerns about her daughter’s future at the Lab Schools for Oakes. “I still have hope that we can find a way to save it. But there is a little spot in there that is: is this school going to be the right one long-term? And I want it to be and I have believed it would be,” she said. “I don’t really want to even have to ask myself that.”

Regardless of future developments about the condition of the German program, Meltzer stated that it should not be the parents’ and alumni’s responsibility to ensure that students’ wants and needs are respected. “That’s no way to run a school, when parents are picking up the pieces for things the school could have done and should have,” he said. 

Following up: nearly one year later

Almost one year later, Lab students and staff are still adjusting to the new limitations that the budget cuts have imposed on their daily activities.

The athletics department, in particular, has gotten creative with the methods they are employing to keep participation at the same levels, while still in keeping with budgetary constraints. In one email sent to parents last year, the department stated that there would be a cap on the number of students allowed to play on particular team sports.

Interim Athletic Director David Ribbens, who returned to Lab the month after the cuts were announced, chose to look for a different solution. One issue that arose was the department’s intention to place a participation cap on middle school volleyball, as was decided before Ribbens was hired. “That was my first question, when I asked my director to say, is that number 12 for volleyball? Is it 18? Is it 20? And they didn’t have a goal, so I dealt with it as an open-ended question,” Ribbens said. “We ended up not capping or cutting kids from our program.”

Instead of limiting the number of students on the volleyball roster, the department decided to allow all interested students to practice with the team and only take half to away games. This ensured that the team would still be competitive but also that all interested players were able to participate, as had been Lab policy previously.

As for the German program teachers, the fact that the end is in sight has not changed their commitment to providing the best education possible for students. “We three German colleagues are determined to continue to provide the best teaching that we can,” said Pralle, who is facing her final year teaching at Lab. After the high school students graduate, Zemil will commit to teaching only French at Lab. Students in the middle school cohort will still be permitted to participate in the German exchange program in summer of 2025.

Many parents and alumni consider cutting an academic program for budgetary reasons antithetical to the Lab Schools’ intellectual tradition of progressive education and student-centered learning. In an open letter to the advisory board as part of the 121-page-long testimonial to the value of the German program, parents state that “this decision grossly violates John Dewey’s core values and fails to exemplify the tenets of progressive education, the foundations on which Lab is built and the ideals which Lab continually claims to live by.”

At the center of this debate between encouraging intellectual pursuits and the realities of funding lies the ethical implications of asking the Lab Schools to contribute to the University’s financial recovery. “I understand budget cuts, but I feel although we are ‘a unit of the University,’ we are not the same as every other unit of the University. We’re a school,” Zemil said.

Zemil warns that academic cuts disproportionately affect students while they are not responsible for this larger financial crisis: “I don’t think that they [the students] should have to bear the brunt of the financial difficulties of either the Lab Schools or the University. As one of my colleagues put it, does it seem right that a third grader should suffer because adults can’t balance their budget?”

For parents and alumni, cutting the German program also contradicts with the role of a university, which should support all types of learning. “This decision is a betrayal of the assurance by the President and the Provost that the University’s academic core mission will not be compromised by the measures taken to address the financial shortfall,” wrote signatories of the testimonial in an opening statement to UChicago’s and the Lab Schools’ administrations.

In these cuts, Jueds sees an opportunity for learning that aligns with the Lab Schools’ historical baggage. “This school year, we have sought to help the affected students process their feelings and look ahead to the exciting opportunities in store for them, mindful of the words of Lab’s founder John Dewey: ‘The most important thing in teaching is to establish in the learner an active disposition to continue to grow, even when disappointment comes.’”

For teachers who have dedicated years to sharing their expertise and interest in an academic field, the loss of the German program also has a deep personal resonance. “It is a sad thing for me to have built up a program for 27 years and then to see it disappear,” Zemil said.