This guide is designed to help the Chicago community understand how our public schools are funded. The purpose of this guide is to (1) explain the budget and the process we use to create it and, (2) to answer frequently asked budget questions.

  FY 2011 citizen's guide to understanding the Chicago Public Schools budget

The Chicago Public Schools FY2011 Budget Book is the financial and policy plan of the Chicago Public Schools for the fiscal year that begins July 1, 2010, and ends June 30, 2011. The fiscal year encompasses 12 months, as mandated by the 1995 Amendatory Act enacted by the Illinois legislature.

The FY2011 Budget Book includes line-item expenditure details, summary financial tables, and narrative overviews of CPS programs, goals, and financial policies and procedures.

The Budget Book also contains snapshots of individual school budgets to provide readers with an at-a-glance view of school based budgets and demographics that impact the budgets. These snapshots are included in the Schools at a Glance section. Departmental budget summaries are also included.

Public hearings about the budget took place in August and transcripts of these hearings are available through the links below. The Chicago Board of Education approved the FY2011 budget at its August 25 board meeting.

Fiscal Year 2011 (FY11) Budget Book Online

 FY2011 Budget Book

 FY2011 Budget Summary (Spanish)

Index of files available:

 Area and Central Office units, all funds

 Area and Central Office units, by fund group

 School segment reports with index

 School support units, all funds

 School support units, by fund group

FY11 Materials Submitted to the Chicago Board of Education

FY2011 Budget Memo Submitted to the Board of Education for Approval

FY 2011 Budget Tables Submitted to the Board of Education for Approval

FY 2011 Public Budget Hearings

The objective of the hearings is to present the proposed budget to the general public and provide an opportunity for public testimony (verbally or in written form) from principals, school staff, local school council members, parents and interested community residents. Registration begins at 6 p.m. and the hearings will begin at 7 p.m. at the following locations:

FY2011 Public Budget Hearing FAQs

  FY2011 Public Budget Hearing FAQs (Spanish)

Previous Briefings and Presentations

 FY2011 Budget Update | April 28, 2010 (Presentation)

 FY2011 principal budget briefing | March 15, 2010 (Presentation)

 CEO Ron Huberman's letter updating CPS employees about meetings with CTU | July 28, 2010

 CPS Budget Shortfall Fact Sheet | June 29, 2010

 CEO Ron Huberman's letter to CPS employees | June 29, 2010

 CEO Ron Huberman's remarks on the budget | June 28, 2010

To view some of the documents provided on this page, you need Acrobat Reader. If you do not have this program, click download Adobe Acrobat Reader nowand follow the instructions.