District Letter
Dear CPS Families and Staff,
We want to begin this message by acknowledging the tremendous gains that CPS students are making, leading the way nationally in academic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
An encouraging study from Harvard and Stanford universities shows that our students in grades 3–8 are #1 among large urban school districts when it comes to gains in reading since the pandemic. CPS also ranked in the top third among similar districts for progress in math, and #3 for overall growth in both reading and math when compared to large urban school districts around the country. At the same time, our youngest learners are making significant progress when it comes to early literacy. And our high schoolers are reaching new heights, with record-breaking graduation rates and almost half of graduates earning an early college or career credential.
None of this would be possible without the vision of our school leaders, the dedication of our educators, and the partnership of you, our CPS families and staff. Our goal now is to not just sustain this progress, but to accelerate student growth, helping them reach higher and achieve more.
Earlier today, CPS released school budgets for the 2024–25 school year. These budgets:
- Protect the investments and strategies that have propelled our students’ success,
- Reflect a new funding strategy that sets an equitable standard for a high-quality student experience, no matter the size, type, or location of their school,
- And keep cuts as far away from the classroom as possible, despite a challenging budget environment.
Investing in Strategies That Drive Student Growth
CPS’ remarkable recovery didn’t happen by accident—it happened because we made data-driven decisions to invest in key strategies that accelerate academic growth. Our FY2025 school budgets double down on the strategies we know are working:
- Learning Acceleration
- Ensuring a high-quality, culturally responsive curriculum for all
- More professional development offerings for teachers and staff
- Intervention teachers to get students back on track
- High-dosage tutoring in reading and math through CPS’ landmark Tutor Corps program
- Extended Learning Time
- Expanded Out-of-School-Time programs and summer programs
- Flexible funding for schools to design local programs tailored to student needs
- Emotional and Behavioral Support
- Additional counselors targeted to schools with the greatest needs
- Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) resources and services
- Access to community mental health providers and partnerships at the school level
Setting a Universal Standard for a High-Quality Experience
Next year, CPS will complete the shift away from a school budget model that relied primarily on Student-Based Budgeting (SBB) and towards a more equitable and transparent school funding model that better supports the varying needs of students across our city.
Moving forward, we will adopt a funding model that guarantees a collection of universal resources for ALL schools, regardless of size, then provides additional support based on each school's unique needs. This model will also maintain flexible discretionary funding for school leaders, as they are in the best position to make decisions about what their students need.
This shift in strategy will ensure all schools are more equitably funded, and that we are investing in priority areas in all schools and programs, including neighborhood schools, magnet and selective enrollment schools, and others.
Benefits of the new funding model will include:
- Teacher positions that are funded at the District level, allowing principals to choose the right teacher for the job regardless of cost
- A centrally funded assistant principal position for every school
- Additional teachers, counselors, and interventionist teachers for high-need schools
Keeping Cuts Away from the Classroom
Over the past three years, CPS has increased direct funding to schools by close to $500 million. However, with the expiration of federal pandemic aid, the District faces a deficit. Despite this challenging budget environment, CPS is working to keep cuts as far away from the classroom as possible. While individual schools’ funding levels may change next year, the total amount CPS allocates for school budgets will not be cut. We will not balance the budget on the backs of our students and our schools. CPS plans to absorb the deficit by reducing expenditures and finding efficiencies within central office functions, contracting, operations, and other areas.
You can find more information about next year’s school budgets by reviewing this fact sheet [ ENGLISH | SPANISH ].
We will continue to keep you informed as we move throughout the budget process. We thank you for your partnership and look forward to working with you to finish this year strong and begin planning for a successful 2024–25 school year.
Sincerely,
Pedro Martinez
Chief Executive Officer
Chicago Public Schools
Bogdana Chkoumbova
Chief Education Officer
Chicago Public Schools