Chicago Public Schools release budget plans while facing $733 million shortfall
More cuts may be ahead for Chicago Public Schools, as early budget plans show the district is facing a budget gap of $732 million next school year.
Many people, including members of the Chicago Board of Education, have concerns on how the budget shortfall will impact students and teachers. CPS is prepared to begin slashing certain programs and positions, including assistant principals. Education leaders in the city said the district's budget deficit is going to be a major blow to resources students need the most. The district's $10 billion budget plan for the 2026-27 school year is currently projected to have a $732 million shortfall.
CPS is planning cuts at its central offices, and reduction of funding for assistant principals. The district is also prepared to slash counselors, bilingual coordinators, sports, and music programs.
'These are not abstract figures. They represent direct losses to programs throughout the district â counselors, bilingual coordinators, interventionists, and academic coaches,' said school board member Michilla Blaise. The school board called the district's financial situation a crisis.
'This is not just a numbers problem, it is a moral issue. This budget cap will disproportionately harm our Black and Latino students and working families,' said school board vice president Angel Velez. On Tuesday, the district issued 600 preliminary school budgets to principals, ahead of a school board vote on the budget plan late this summer.
In a statement condemning the CPS budget process as 'deeply flawed,' the Chicago Principals and Administrators Association said the district's initial budget plans are arriving too late for principals to responsibly plan individual school spending.
'Principals are expected to build staffing plans, manage school operations, communicate with families, and prepare for a new school year, all while navigating moving targets, delayed information, and budget assumptions that do not reflect school-level reality,' the CPAA said. Joe Ferguson, president of the Civic Federation, a nonpartisan government watchdog group, said while the CPS budget deficit is a large number, it's not unusual.
'It's a big number, but it's not a surprising number, first. Second, it's a preliminary figure early in the process.
Third, there are a lot of levers within CPS itself to be thrown that actually should bring that number down substantially,' he said. Mayor Brandon Johnson, who appointed the majority of the partially-elected school board, including its president, claimed he's more invested more in Chicago Public Schools than any previous mayor.
'I've done my part to invest in our public schools. I've done my part to invest in young people,' he said. Johnson said it's time for state lawmakers to take it the finish line by providing more funding for CPS in the next state budget.
'The General Assembly and the governor have to act for the sake of working people. Our public schools deserve to be fully funded,' he said. CPS principals have until June 9 to finalize their individual budgets for next year. The school board has until the end of August to approve a balanced budget for the entire district.
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