Public weighs in on closing $734M CPS deficit
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CPS interim CEO Macquline King speaks to people gathered for a CPS budget feedback session Thursday at Roosevelt High School. Photo: Monica Eng/Axios
Chicago Public School officials will host a final public meeting Monday night to discuss the district's $734 million budget gap.
Why it matters: It finishes a series of feedback sessions designed to give residents an opportunity to weigh in on balancing the CPS budget.
Between the lines: During a Thursday meeting at Roosevelt High School in Albany Park, the breakout discussion tables were heavily populated by Chicago Teachers Union members.
- Many promoted the official CTU budget strategy — reject school cuts and seek more state funding — a view largely repeated when each table shared their group's consensus plan at the end of the night.
Yes, but: A few tables broke form by suggesting that CPS rescind its offer to pick up $175 million in city pension obligations and even to consider consolidating underenrolled schools.
Zoom out: A similar process played out during meetings at Dyett and Westinghouse High Schools (where the participants got feisty with CPS officials), according to a report in the Board Rule education newsletter.
By the numbers: CPS projects a budget of $8.43 billion for FY 2026, with $5.8 billion in personnel costs and $2.6 billion for operations and funding charter schools.
- The district spends $817 million a year in loan repayments alone.
- Without cuts and revenue boosts, CPS projects a $1.3 billion deficit by 2030.
Zoom in: Three main factors are driving the deficit, according to CPS:
- Costs to serve students with disabilities, which have grown by $450 million since 2019.
- Building expenses that include $14 billion for backlogged repairs, and more engineers and maintenance, adding $100 million in new costs since 2019.
- Growing pension payments, including the $175 million CPS took over from the city.
What they're saying: "Solving these challenges must be a collective effort, and your input will be critical to our path forward," CPS chief budget officer Mike Sitkowski said Thursday.
If you go: CPS is hosting its final session virtually at 5:30pm Monday. You can register here.
What's next: Sitkowski says his team will incorporate public feedback into the 2026 budget, which will be presented to the board Aug. 28.