Chicago City Wire

Civic Federation president Laurence Msall has a problem with what he sees as the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) inverse system.

“While the size of the budget continues to grow, the number of students in Chicago Public Schools continues to shrink,” Msall recently told board members.

Chicago Board of Education officials recently approved a $9.3 billion budget coinciding with schools across the state reopening for in-person learning. The new 2021-22 budget tops last year’s spending by nearly a billion dollars and directly calls for $7.8 billion in operating expenses, $707 million for building repairs and technology advances and $763 million for long-term debt payments.

The final approved spending plan came not long after members of the Chicago Teachers Union staged a rally outside the CPS headquarters demanding that the district invest more to cover the hiring a nurse and social worker for each of its 600-plus schools.

In the face of all the increased spending, the Civic Federation notes that student enrollment has tumbled by nearly 60,000 students. Since the COVID-19 crisis hit, CPS enrollment has tumbled by nearly 25,000 students and since schools reopened this fall, classroom numbers are down by 10,000 students.    

CPS administrators recently began a campaign to “reengage” 100,000 students viewed as at-risk of not returning to school, with officials visiting some homes and placing calls to all parents. CPS has also partnered with a number of neighborhood groups to participate in back-to-school and COVID-19 vaccination outreach in at least 10 communities viewed as vulnerable.

 Illinois Policy Institute reports the state's rising pension debt makes it one of a handful of places where taxpayers are constantly being asked to give more and receive less, with Illinois now being home to the worst-in-the-nation pension debt.