CHICAGO -- Chicago Public Schools Chief Arne Duncan yesterday recommended that the school board approve plans for 20 new schools, including the district's first high school aimed at gay, lesbian and transgender teens.

The schools are expected to open in the fall of 2009 and 2010. Public hearings on the proposed schools are anticipated before the Board of Education votes on them Oct. 22.

The proposed schools ranged from a technology focused high schools to the School for Social Justice Pride Campus, which officials said would cater to, but not focus exclusively on, gay youth.

Backers said they envision a small high school offering a college-preparatory curriculum in which students would take four years each of English and math, three years each of foreign languages and science, as well as fine arts and physical education. It would be a performance school, meaning that it would have the same staffing and oversight requirements as other district schools.

"If you look at national studies, you see gay and lesbian students with high dropout rates. ... Studies show they are disproportionately homeless," Mr. Duncan said. "I think there is a niche there we need to fill."

Supporters have said the school would help students find a safe school environment, because studies have shown that gay youth are at a greater risk of dropping out of school and abusing drugs and alcohol, and are two to three times more likely to attempt suicide. A 2003 district survey showed that gay and lesbian youths were three times more likely to miss school because they didn't feel safe.

Opponents have called the move a misuse of public funds. At a recent public hearing on the proposal, some gay-rights advocates have said the move would segregate these students, and that the district should work more on fostering acceptance by mainstream students, teachers and other school officials.