Chicago Public Schools leaders are moving to reverse layoffs — as directed by school board members aligned with the Chicago Teachers Union — but say the $100 million in unconfirmed state funding included in the district’s budget won’t be enough to restore all the positions.
The school board, whose majority is backed by CTU or appointed by Mayor Brandon Johnson, passed the district’s $10.11 billion budget last month with an amendment that includes $150 million in additional state funding, despite warnings from CPS leaders that the money is not guaranteed.
The surprise revision sets aside $100 million to reverse the layoffs of 760 teachers, 800 school-based support staff and 160 central office staff members. The other $50 million would go toward averting a midyear spending and hiring freeze.
But it’s not so simple, Emila Zoko, the district’s acting chief budget officer, told families at a webinar Tuesday. She stressed that the money “has not yet been promised to the district,” and said that there is not enough funding or time to restore all the positions before school starts in less than two weeks. The district will open its doors to K-12 students on Aug. 24. The first day of school for pre-K students is Aug. 25.
“The budget we originally presented to the board took 10 months to create,” Zoko said. “We cannot recreate our budget process in just a few short weeks, and we have a number of responsibilities in front of us as we prepare to welcome our students back to school.”
District officials said they are surveying school leaders to determine which positions are most critical at their schools and reaching out to laid-off staffers to see whether they’re interested in returning to the district. CPS finalized the layoffs in early July. Some staff members may be invited to return to their previous positions, but principals won’t be required to reopen their budgets.
“We are less than two weeks away from the start of school, and we don’t want to place this additional burden on principals or interrupt their preparations,” said Jerry Taylor, the district’s acting chief talent officer.
CTU sent a letter to district leaders last week, obtained by the Tribune, calling for impact bargaining to “ensure the prompt rescission of layoff notices” issued to its members. A CTU spokesperson said Tuesday that the union is skeptical that $100 million won’t be enough to restore all of the positions.
“We’re glad to see they’re taking seriously the reversal of the layoffs and calling for all hands on deck to see the governor and General Assembly pay their bill,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “We have big questions about the math they’re using.”
CTU and its allies have argued that relying on an additional $150 million in state funding is a pressure tactic to force lawmakers to confront the chronic underfunding of CPS. They have pointed to commitments from state lawmakers, including Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, to pass a supplemental funding bill. But it remains unclear whether that money will materialize. Any legislation would require a three-fifths supermajority in Springfield.
Before the board passed the budget, CPS leaders warned that banking on money that has not been approved could leave the district vulnerable to midyear cuts. They argued the budget is not balanced under state law and that lenders and credit rating agencies could look unfavorably upon the move, potentially leading to credit downgrades and higher borrowing costs.
District leaders used layoffs, the spending freeze and other departmental cuts to close a $732 million deficit.
CPS said last week it would lead a lobbying campaign in Springfield to secure funding, though officials offered few additional details Tuesday. The district has also argued that it’s unlikely that any money approved by lawmakers this fall would reach CPS in time to affect this fiscal year.
Officials noted CPS is planning to appoint a new chief of intergovernmental affairs at the school board meeting Wednesday, a position that plays a key role in working with city and state leaders. The position has been vacant for more than a year.
CPS is considered to be 70% adequately funded under the state’s own evidence-based funding formula, which prioritized new money for Illinois’ neediest school districts. That figure is down from 73% last year. Even as state funding for CPS increases, the district’s needs are rising, largely because of higher costs and greater student needs.
