Residents want Chicago Public Schools to demand more money from the city and state to avoid making cuts that affect the classroom as the district scrambles to find solutions for a $734 million budget deficit.
Those were two of the main takeaways from the more than 650 parents, teachers and others who came to community feedback sessions held in July by CPS seeking to gather input on the community’s priorities as the district mulls over its options on how to close the budget gap.
“We wanted to ensure transparency and gather feedback from our stakeholders so that we can incorporate this feedback into a community based collective solution for our FY 2026 budget,” said Michael Sitkowski, chief budget officer of CPS, who presented the findings at the Board of Education’s monthly meeting Thursday.
CPS is urgently seeking solutions to its budget deficit. The district needs to release a final budget by Aug. 13, in order to hold hearings before it is voted on at the Aug. 28 board meeting.
Several school board members also said they want the school district to get more revenue from the state, rather than make cuts. More than a dozen teachers and staff also attended Thursday’s meeting to implore Gov. JB Pritzker to call a special legislative session to drum up money.
They say this is an urgent need not just for Chicago, but for school districts across the state that also are grappling with budget troubles as federal COVID-19 relief money runs out and President Donald Trump’s administration puts other federal funding in jeopardy.
“We can balance this budget without making cuts if we have the will to properly fund education in the state of Illinois,” said Ed Bannon, a board member, at the meeting. “Calling on parents of CPS students, everyone in Chicago to call for a special session to find these budget solutions.”
CPS’ interim leader Macquline King said she is talking to city and state officials.
So far, neither Pritzker, nor legislative leaders, are jumping to heed the call. Pritzker has said he would like to provide more money for education, but finding the dollars to do so was a challenge.
About two thirds of those who attended the community meetings urged CPS to avoid cuts to the classroom and 39% said they would prefer cuts to central office positions. And around a third of participants specifically urged the district to focus on the needs of students, not adults, when considering cuts.
Participants offered up solutions such as increasing funds from special taxing districts, known as TIFs, for CPS and establishing a progressive income tax as potential revenue sources.
Another finding from the community session involved the disputed $175 million municipal pension payment from CPS to the city. About a quarter of participants discussed the issue, and at least one person in each group was against CPS making that payment.
The pension payment is highly controversial. For decades, the city paid the entire pension payment, but in 2021, then Mayor Lori Lightfoot paid some of the cost to CPS. Non-teacher CPS staff make up half of the pensioners. Facing budget problems of his own, Mayor Brandon Johnson has continued to demand CPS pay it.
Two board members pointed out Thursday that many in the community think CPS should reject that request.
Board member Debby Pope expressed concern that there is still no clear solution to solve the deficit with the deadline looming.
“I’m just wondering how we are going to get from talking about the generalities — and I’m a part of that talk as well — to very specifically how were going to get numbers on something that we can vote on in a month,” Pope said.
Sitkowski also said they needed to move into specifics.
King said any decisions need to be “student centered” and made with the community in mind.
“We will have to make some decisions but it will not be unilateral we will be looking at direct connections to school impacts,” King said. “The goal is not to touch our classrooms, it’s to protect the children, that is my focus that is the goal.”