Chicago City Wire

Steve Cortes, founder of the League of American Workers, said on X that Chicago Public Schools (CPS) prioritize administrators and the teachers union over students and families amid declining enrollment numbers.

"The Chicago Public Schools system exists to benefit administrators and the teachers union, NOT student & families," said Cortes.

Chicago Public Schools have been experiencing a long-running decline in enrollment due to demographic shifts such as fewer births, pandemic-era homeschooling, and migration patterns. These factors have not been offset by gains in charter or private schooling options, leaving about 30% of schools at least half-empty and straining district finances. The crisis has sparked debates over consolidation and fiscal sustainability, especially as relief funding dwindles. This situation underscores policy challenges around urban education funding and infrastructure, according to ProPublica and Chalkbeat.

High school enrollment in CPS has fallen by approximately 3.2%, or about 3,340 students, between the 2021–22 and 2024–25 school years. Total district enrollment dropped from 355,156 in 2019–20 to 325,305 in 2024–25, marking a loss of nearly 30,000 students over five years. These figures highlight deepening pressures on staffing and budgeting as reported by Chicago Public Schools.

Compared to CPS’s 18% decline in enrollment from 2014 to 2022, other major urban districts like Philadelphia, San Antonio, and Houston reported declines under 17%. This suggests that Chicago’s drop has been steeper; nationally, urban districts have also faced shrinking student populations, though the pace varies by city. These comparative trends emphasize CPS’s more acute demographic challenges according to ProPublica.

Cortes is a former Wall Street trader with extensive experience trading currencies, bonds, and interest-rate products. He later became a daily broadcaster on CNBC and subsequently on Fox News and CNN. He served as senior spokesman and strategist for Donald Trump’s 2016 and 2020 campaigns, led Hispanic outreach efforts, and was national spokesman for Ron DeSantis’s 2024 Political Action Committee before founding the League of American Workers according to Key Speakers Bureau.