By Townhall Chicago News Staff
Chicago Public Schools’ outgoing board restored $150 million in previously proposed budget cuts without identifying a new revenue source, instead counting on additional money from the state, according to accounts aired on AM 560 radio.
The board’s move leaves the district’s budget gap unresolved heading into a transition to an elected school board, with the funding question now dependent on action in Springfield.
Gov. JB Pritzker downplayed the likelihood of the state providing more operating money for the district during the legislature’s fall veto session. “Hasn’t really been an ongoing discussion,” Pritzker said, according to the radio program. “I mean, to the extent someone wants to propose something, they can in the veto session. But I will say this, I think we all agree on one thing: we need more funding for education.”
The $150 million restoration follows earlier proposed job cuts that the district said were needed to close a larger budget shortfall, according to the radio program’s reporting. The outgoing board reversed those cuts before its term ends.
Illinois’ General Assembly veto session gives lawmakers a limited window each fall to act on legislation before the spring session. Pritzker’s comments suggest CPS funding is not a priority item on that agenda.
The budget gap will be inherited by Chicago’s newly elected school board, which took on partial authority over the district this year as part of a transition away from a fully mayor-appointed board. How the board closes the shortfall without the state funding Pritzker described as unlikely remains an open question.
Chicago Public Schools has faced recurring budget shortfalls in recent years tied to rising pension costs, declining enrollment and the expiration of federal pandemic relief funding that had temporarily offset deficits. The district has relied on short-term fixes, including borrowing and one-time revenue, to balance prior budgets.
The elected school board is scheduled to take full authority over the district in 2027, a change approved by state lawmakers in 2021 to shift CPS from a mayor-appointed board to one chosen partly by voters. The first fully elected board will face the funding gap left by this year’s restoration of the $150 million in cuts. District officials have not said what programs or positions could be cut if the state does not provide additional funding during the veto session. The veto session gives lawmakers a limited number of days to act before adjourning for the year, narrowing the window for any new state appropriation to CPS.
