Schools and Networks

Chicago Public Schools’ (CPS) FY2025 budget represents a key milestone in the decades-long effort to create a more equitable District and provide a high-quality education for all of Chicago’s children.

In years past, the District’s model relied mainly on student-based budgeting (SBB), where the District would allocate a standard dollar amount for every student, and then add funding based on each school’s unique characteristics and needs. Principals were given a pot of money, and they would have to figure out what they could afford. For FY2025, CPS fully moved away from SBB and adopted a model that is easier to understand, more transparent, more equitable, and rooted in the needs of students in a school rather than the number of students in a school.

CPS is investing in the continued academic success of its students by allocating over $4.9 billion directly in school budgets in FY2025. This is an increase from the $4.8 billion budgeted for FY2024. This is an estimate of what schools will spend in FY2025, but final allocations will depend on the total cost of employees staffed in foundational instructional and administrative roles. The District will cover the cost of these allocated positions, thereby allowing schools to staff the teachers and educational support personnel they need without having to worry about their costs.

Schools will receive both centrally allocated positions and flexible funding through enrollment and needs-based formulas. Funds allocated directly to schools in FY2025 reflect an increase of more than $149 million year-over-year and ensure that every student receives a fully resourced, supportive, safe, and healthy learning environment, and represents an improvement over the current model, especially for communities that have historically been farthest from opportunity.

The following sections discuss funding for instructional priorities and additional funding received by schools.

Enrollment

Budget allocations for SY2024–25 that incorporate an enrollment metric utilize each school’s 20th day enrollment during SY2023–24. Funding schools based on prior year enrollment ensures that schools will not see a budget reduction in the fall, even if enrollment declines based on actual FY2025 20th day numbers. As in previous years, schools will receive additional funding if their enrollment on the 20th day of the new school year exceeds their FY2024 budget baseline enrollment. This model allows schools to plan confidently for the year ahead without concern for potential budget reductions in fall, while also ensuring schools have sufficient resources to meet their priorities for their current students.

Throughout the 2023–24 school year, the District has also seen an increase in newcomer students after the 20th day. Schools with post-20th day increased enrollment due to newcomer arrivals will see additional adjustments in their FY2025 budgets to the Core Teacher Allocation and Needs-Based Flexible Funding areas.

For more information on student demographics, including enrollment, please see Appendix A.

Number of Schools

Per CPS definition, a school:

1. Is officially authorized by the Chicago Board of Education;
2. Is based in one or more buildings inside the geographic boundaries of the City of Chicago;
3. Has or will have one of the following governance structures: a local school council, an appointed local school council, a board of directors, or a board of governors;
4. Employs at least one administrator to lead the school;
5. Employs at least one credentialed person to provide instruction to students;
6. Provides an appropriate curriculum for each grade level served that, at a minimum, meets all requirements of the Illinois State Code;
7. Requires progression toward a terminal grade level within a single school, regardless of physical location;
8. Is not defined under Illinois School Code as something other than a school (e.g., an Alternative Learning Opportunity Program is not a school); and
9. Has or is intended to have at least one actively enrolled student during the school year.

Based on this definition, there are 635 schools in FY2025. Table 2 provides the school count by type.

The following table explains the change in school count between FY2024 and FY2025.

School Budget Overview

The FY2025 budget contains more than $4.9 billion budgeted at school units. The following tables show fund and position allocations by school type and funding category.

*This includes core classroom, holistic, and programmatic teachers; core administrative positions like principals, assistant principals, clerks, counselors, and restorative justice coordinators; and other general-funded positions integral to the functioning of CPS schools.

** Additional SAFE funds will be allocated for the second campus that opens in FY2025

*This includes core classroom, holistic, and programmatic teachers; core administrative positions like principals, assistant principals, clerks, counselors, and restorative justice coordinators; and other general-funded positions integral to the functioning of CPS schools.

**FTE at charter and contract schools include federally funded lunchroom staff and security staff, the latter of which are deducted from tuition payments made to the schools that have them.

Charter and Contract Schools

Charter and contract schools are public schools managed by independent operators and offer an alternative to traditional District-managed schools.

While SBB has traditionally been used as the primary funding source for charter schools, FY2025 marks the first time where the District will use Core Instructional Funding (CIF) as the primary funding stream. This reflects an accordant change on the District-side in the way schools are funded. CIF includes a proportionate share of centrally allocated instructional and administrative staff, as well as discretionary dollars. Funding for operations, security, central office expenses, and education support programs will continue to be paid to charter and contract schools through Non-Instructional Funding, rather than through citywide spending for District-run schools. This allocates an equitable share of centralized spending and of each categorical funding source, where applicable. For more details on how charter and contract schools will be funded in FY2025, please see Appendix B.

Alternative Learning Opportunity Programs (ALOPs)

ALOPs provide different educational options for youth who have not been consistently enrolled in school. These programs are run by external vendors who receive per-pupil based funding from the District to support programmatic offerings and support services.

Specialty Schools

Specialty schools primarily serve students with significant diverse learning needs and students in pre-k. Specialty schools include:

• Four high schools that serve only diverse learners (Northside Learning Center, Southside Occupational Academy, Ray Graham Training Center, and Jacqueline B. Vaughn Occupational High School).
• Three early childhood centers that serve pre-k students and a significant number of diverse learners enrolled in primary grades (Blair Early Childhood Center, Daniel C. Beard Elementary School, and Wilma Rudolph Learning Center).
• Five early childhood centers serving only pre-k students (Dr. Fisher Early Learning Center, Catalpa Early Childhood Center, Barbara Vick Early Childhood and Family Center, Velma Thomas Early Childhood Center, and Stock School).

Specialty schools receive the majority of their funding through specialized funding streams related to their program focus, primarily special education positions and early childhood positions. The remainder of their funds come from foundational instructional and administrative positions and discretionary dollars. To account for the specific needs of the diverse learners they serve, the costs of these schools are significantly higher than traditional schools when compared on a per-pupil basis.

District Options Schools

District Options schools serve students who are in confinement, at risk of dropping out of school, or have dropped out and wish to return. District Options schools include one school located at the Cook County Jail (Consuella B. York Alternative High School), one school located at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center (Nancy B. Jefferson Alternative High School), one school that serves pregnant and parenting students (Simpson Academy for Young Women), and one school that serves students who previously dropped out of school and students who are at risk of dropping out (Peace and Education Coalition Alternative High School).

SAFE Schools

SAFE schools provide an educational option to students who have been expelled from another CPS school due to violence. In FY24, CPS had one SAFE school, which is managed by an independent operator. The FY2025 budget also includes additional funding for a second SAFE campus, which was approved by the Board in June 2024 and is managed by the same operator. These costs are covered primarily by a state Regional Safe Schools grant.

Additional Funding Received By Schools

Schools receive additional funding to meet specific student needs, including funding for diverse learners, bilingual students, early childhood students, program costs, and school operations. Please review Appendix B for information on funding formulas for these allocations.

Special Education Funding

Special education allocations are based on the number of special education teachers and paraprofessionals needed to deliver the supports and services defined in students’ Individualized Education Programs. Initial allocations are determined by each school’s special education population as of spring 2024. Allocations may be updated during the year in response to changes in student needs.

Multilingual-Multicultural Education

Schools receive supplemental bilingual education coordinators and per-pupil funds based on their number of English learners (ELs). There are two programs: Transitional Bilingual Education (TBE) for schools that have 20 or more ELs of the same language background, and Transitional Program of Instruction (TPI) for schools that have fewer than 20 ELs of the same language background. The Office of Multilingual-Multicultural Education, formerly the Office of Language and Cultural Education, tracks ELs and allocates supplemental bilingual teachers and funds to schools.

The FY2025 budget contains $61.3 million in supplemental funding for schools, which includes funding for 333.0 supplemental bilingual education coordinators, 40.0 dual language coordinators, and 28.5 critical language classroom teachers. Bilingual education is supported by local funding and dedicated state and federal funding.

Early Childhood

To better meet family needs and ensure children are receiving services that will set the foundation for long-term success, the District continues to build on its four-year plan to provide all four-year-olds in Chicago with access to high-quality, full-day early childhood education.

The FY2025 budget contains $229 million allocated at 371 elementary schools and early learning centers for early childhood programs, including universal pre-k and child-parent centers. An additional $87 million is allocated to the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS) for Preschool for All (PFA) and the Prevention Initiative (PI) programs that are implemented at various community-based organizations.

Additional funds are budgeted centrally for items such as:

• Professional development for teachers and administrators;
• Curriculum and instructional materials, furniture, and technology;
• Student and teacher assessments; and
• Nutritious snacks for full-day programs.

Early childhood programs serve pre-k students ages three and four, and are funded primarily from the state’s Early Childhood Block Grant, with most of the remainder coming from local funds. CPS also provides state grant funding to community-based providers for early childhood programs up to age five, as noted above and described more fully in the Office of Early Childhood Education’s department narrative, but this funding is not reflected in school budgets.

Other Programs

Schools that offer Board-funded educational programming receive additional teaching positions or funding. All programs except for STEM are funded from general funds. Details on these programs are found in their respective departmental narratives. Significant programs are included in Table 6.

Discretionary Funds

CPS schools receive two discretionary funding sources: Needs-Based Flexible Funding and Title I Discretionary Dollars. Schools will receive Needs-Based Flexible Funding based on enrollment and opportunity index (OI) to spend on additional personnel and non-personnel needs. The allocations are determined using the formula detailed in the table below. In total, $227.1 million in Needs-Based Flexible Funding was allocated to CPS Schools.

Title I of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provides funds to schools with high concentrations of low-income, educationally disadvantaged students who require supplementary services. Over 85 percent of qualifying CPS schools will receive $112.6 million in discretionary Title I funding in FY2025.

Operational Expenses

Schools receive additional positions, services, and funding for various operational expenses. In FY2025, the following operational funding appears in schools’ budgets:

• Security: School security officers and security aides are assigned to schools by the Office of Safety and Security. Security positions are budgeted at schools.
• Food Service: This includes the labor costs of the lunchroom staff; the food costs required to provide lunch and breakfast are budgeted centrally.
• School Operational Support: Full-time school assistants have been provided to all schools with an enrollment of more than 600 students, and schools with fewer students will receive a part-time position to provide school-level operational and supervisory support.
  

Other operational expenses are managed centrally to support the effective use of resources. Among the positions managed centrally are bus aides, engineers, and custodians. Please refer to the department narratives for more details about each of these operational areas.

Private Schools

Students, teachers, and parents of private or non-public schools are entitled to federal support through Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) (Title IA & D, Title II, Title III, Title IV) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). CPS must set aside a share of the federal funds it receives to make services available to eligible private or non-public school students, teachers, and parents. However, these funds are not paid directly to the private schools; instead, CPS operates these programs on behalf of eligible students, teachers, and parents.

Each year, CPS oversees and manages services for approximately 61,000 students in 250 private schools, totaling almost $41 million under ESSA. In addition, CPS oversees services for children who attend seven residential sites that specialize in serving children under the guardianship of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.

The following table shows the allocations for each of the federal programs. Funding is proportionate to the number of eligible students in each private school as compared to the student’s designated CPS neighborhood school. FY2025 amounts are projections; the final amounts will be determined after the District’s applications are approved by the Illinois State Board of Education.

Networks

District-run schools are organized into networks, which provide administrative support, strategic direction, and leadership development to the schools within the network. There are 18 networks to meet the unique needs of both elementary and high schools. Schools are either geographically organized into one of the 13 elementary or four high school networks, or they are part of the citywide Options network.

Networks are led by network chiefs who are responsible for building effective schools with strong leaders. Network chiefs play an integral role in developing professional development plans, collecting and assessing data to drive interventions, supporting schools in developing and implementing their Continuous Improvement Work Plans, collaborating on best practices with other networks, and fostering community and parental involvement. Networks are supported by deputy chiefs, data strategists, instructional support leaders, and administrative personnel. Each network also has a social-emotional learning specialist and a specialized services administrator, which appear in the budgets for the Office of College and Career Success and the Office of Diverse Learner Supports and Services. All network staff report to the Office of Network Support.

There are instances where schools are exempt from network oversight. Principals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership skills and are a part of the Independent School Principals (ISP) program have the autonomy to operate their schools with reduced oversight from central office. In FY2025, 51 principals are estimated to retain their ISP status.