Education
CPS Kicking Off Community Engagement Roundtables as District Works to Fill $732M Budget Shortfall
(WTTW News)
Chicago Public Schools is kicking off a series of community roundtables as the cash-strapped school district works to fill a $732 million budget shortfall.
Tuesday marks the first community engagement session — scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at George Westinghouse College Prep, 3223 W. Franklin Blvd. — as CPS continues working to address its fiscal challenges ahead of an Aug. 29 deadline to pass a balanced budget for the 2027 fiscal year.
“Creating the space to share and listen to our families and community members across the city helps the District make the best possible decisions for today’s students and those yet to walk through our doors,” CPS CEO Macquline King said in a statement. “Our focus remains on providing a high-quality education despite the projected fiscal challenges.”
According to CPS leaders, the district currently faces a budget deficit of $732.5 million, which they said is driven by a lack of state and federal funding, decreasing student enrollment and an increased need to provide for those students with the greatest needs.
The Chicago Teachers Union is again calling on Springfield legislators to provide CPS with the funding they are owed after the district has said it is only getting 73% of what is considered “adequate” under the state’s evidence-based funding formula.
“The Governor and General Assembly left Springfield without finishing their homework,” CTU President Stacy Davis Gates said in a statement. “They need to give Illinois’ children the treatment they’re giving the owners of the Bears and call a special session to deliver full funding so students don’t go hungry, face dirtier classrooms, and lose access to sports, arts, music, libraries and the quality school day they deserve.”
The union contends that if CPS received everything it is owed under the state’s funding model, it would have a billion dollar surplus, rather than the massive budget shortfall.
CPS is adjusting its school-based staff allocation formulas for core teachers, intervention teachers and lead coaches to account for declining enrollment, while continuing to prioritize support for high-need schools.
But CPS maintains that it plans to prioritize funding according to student needs, while also adjusting school budgets based on enrollment changes.
On Tuesday, the district said it has nearly completed its allocation process for individual schools after principals submitted their budget proposals in June.
According to CPS, the community roundtables will include a brief overview of the district’s budget and will allow participants to ask questions and hear directly from CPS leaders.
In addition to Tuesday’s meeting, CPS has scheduled five more roundtables in the coming weeks:
- June 27, 10 a.m.-12 p.m., Back of the Yards College Preparatory High School, 2111 W. 47th St. (Spanish Presentation)
- June 30, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Walter Henri Dyett High School For The Arts, 555 E. 51st St.
- July 1, 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. (Virtual)
- July 7, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Theodore Roosevelt High School, 3436 W. Wilson Ave.
- July 13, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Gwendolyn Brooks College Preparatory Academy, 250 E. 111th St.
WTTW News education reporting is supported, in part, by Press Forward Chicago.
