Capital Plan FY2022

UPDATE (4/29/2022): CPS’ mission is to provide a high-quality public education for every child, in every neighborhood, that prepares each for success in college, career, and civic life. To support this mission, CPS’ capital planning strategy aligns with the priorities outlined in the Educational Facilities Master Plan. Future projects will be determined by assessed need, district educational priorities, and an equitable distribution of available funding. CPS’ five-year capital plan will include further investments in deferred maintenance, targeted site improvements, and emergency projects. The intent is to have a level of funding consistent with the FY2022 budget for future years to allow for effective management of deferred maintenance needs.

The FY2023 Capital Plan for Chicago Public Schools continues to build on the multi-year $707 million investment (including outside funding) made in the FY2022 capital plan. CPS intends to target an investment of about $600 million (including outside funding) for the FY23 Capital Plan.

For the FY2022 Capital Budget, CPS conducted extensive public outreach to determine the budget priorities and to determine the factors to consider for equitable distribution of capital funds. CPS intends to build on this framework and remains committed to promoting equitable access to high-quality school environments, and equity will serve as the foundation for the FY2023 capital plan also. CPS has also completed the most recent round of biennial assessments in 2019-20 – the previous assessments were completed in 2014-15. These assessments, supplemented by additional information from the CPS Facilities Department, are used to determine critical facility needs. The updated assessments were posted on a centralized landing page on the CPS website in May 2021. Further, the district's Equity Office continues to be an integral part of the capital planning process to ensure fair and equitable distribution of capital resources across CPS schools.

Building on the District’s commitment to community engagement and equity during the budgeting process, CPS held five virtual meetings earlier this week to engage communities across Chicago on capital priorities as the district works to develop its FY23 Capital Plan, which will be released this summer. The meetings — which were hosted by the CPS Capital Department, Office of Equity, and Office of Family and Community Engagement (FACE) — were intended to provide communities with an understanding of the District’s capital planning process and collect public input to help the district prioritize critical capital needs. Presentation material including videos are posted here: https://www.cps.edu/about/finance/capital-plan/spring-2022-capital-plan-community-meetings/.

Public input will be utilized to determine prioritization of capital budget categories.

As of April 2022, there are over 750 active projects across the district. These projects continue to prioritize critical capital needs which include roof, building envelope, mechanical, electrical and plumbing needs throughout the district. Also included are facility construction to relieve overcrowding and renovations to aid programmatic enhancements such as science labs and universal Pre-k program initiatives, among others.

Introduction

The FY2022 budget for Chicago Public Schools (CPS) includes a capital budget totaling $706.6 million of investments that will focus on priority facilities needs at neighborhood schools; mechanical systems which control the indoor environment and air-quality of our schools; full-day Pre-K expansions; ADA accessibility; restroom modernizations; student recreation and athletic improvements; site improvements and continued expansion of technology upgrades and other academic priorities. To support schools throughout the city, the FY2022 capital plan provides funding in five main areas: critical facility needs, interior improvements, programmatic investments, site improvements, and IT and security upgrades.

CPS is committed to promoting equitable access to high-quality school environments, and equity served as the foundation for the FY2022 capital plan. The district's Equity Office played an important role in developing the FY2022 capital proposal by helping to ensure that resources are distributed fairly and equitably across CPS schools so that all students can share in the district's record-setting progress. In addition, the FY2022 capital budget planning process included several enhancements, most notably around transparency and community outreach. The district conducted five public meetings and evaluated over 500 survey responses to gather community input during the capital plan development process.

The CPS facility portfolio includes 522 campuses and 798 buildings. Our average facility age is over 80 years old, and the total CPS facility need is over $3 billion. Since FY2016, CPS has invested over $3.0 billion into capital improvements across the district. These projects include major renovations to ensure our schools stay warm and dry, facility construction to relieve overcrowding, security cameras to provide a safer environment for our children, and renovations to aid programmatic enhancements, among others. Additionally, CPS is investing $100 million over five years to ensure all CPS campuses are more accessible.

The FY2022 capital budget is primarily funded by future issuance of general obligation bonds which are principally repaid by Evidence-Based Funding (EBF). A portion of the FY2022 budget is also funded by Federal ESSER III funds and potential outside resources as they become identified.

Full details on the FY2022 capital budget are available on the interactive capital plan website located in the "how to use this site" navigation box. The site allows users to quickly select projects by school, geographic area, type, and year.

CPS’ capital plan aligns with the priorities outlined in the draft Educational Facilities Master Plan. Future projects will be determined by equity, assessed need, educational priorities, and available funding.

District Equity Index to Prioritize Investments

In recent years, the district has focused on prioritizing investments that promote equitable access to high-quality learning environments. To advance this work, the district will continue to utilize the Equity Index, a tool to help identify opportunity differences so that resources can be prioritized for the schools in greatest need. The equity index, which was informed by community feedback, was central to the development of this year’s capital plan.

Funding from Federal Government

CPS has a significant backlog of deferred critical facility needs. Mechanical system needs have a significant backlog and CPS intends to leverage funding from the district’s federal ESSER III allocation to address this critical facilities needs category. These systems control the indoor environment in our buildings and focus on core mechanical systems - essentially heating and cooling the buildings and associated electrical & plumbing infrastructure. With an average building age of 80, a lot of this infrastructure is original to the building. If one or more of these systems or equipment is obsolete and not working, it can cause potential air quality issues for the building which comes at the risk of impacting the health and wellness of students and staff. Each building’s system presents its own set of challenges when planning an upgrade or replacement, with projects taking up to two years to complete. Fixing these systems helps us provide learning environments that are safe, healthy, and comfortable for students and staff.

Utilizing the $100 million in federal funding, CPS is planning significant capital mechanical renovations at 17 campuses.

Priority Facility Needs at Neighborhood Schools

Every student deserves to access a neighborhood school that is warm, safe, and dry, and CPS is allocating $328.6 million in funding for critical maintenance projects and interior improvements. As part of our commitment to equity, the district is prioritizing renovations at neighborhood schools throughout the city to ensure all students can learn and grow in school buildings that support high-quality learning environments.

The FY2022 capital budget addresses the district’s priority renovation projects and most urgent facility needs. We will invest in 39 major roof and envelope projects and seven renovations to mechanical systems. Along with these projects, the funding will provide:

• $206.6 million for priority roof, envelope, and mechanical projects;
• $50 million for unanticipated emergency repairs;
• $20 million for district maintenance priorities;
• $20 million for modular refurbishment;
• $10 million for masonry remediation;
• $10 million for interior improvements;
• $5 million for fire alarm system replacement;
• $5 million for chimney stabilization; and
• $2 million for critical temperature control system replacement.

Support for Students with Physical Limitations

We will invest $20.5 million to increase Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility in 33 schools as part of a multi-year program to ensure all CPS buildings have first-floor accessibility. Starting with the FY2021 Capital budget, CPS committed to spending $100 million over five years to improve accessibility of parking lots, main entrances, main offices, and public restrooms.

Expansion of Free Full-Day Pre-K

CPS is continuing to build on our commitment to provide free full-day Pre-K to all four-year-olds in Chicago. In FY2021, the district invested $100 million to complete classroom conversions and to renovate existing Pre-K classrooms. Building on this investment, the FY2022 capital plan includes $80 million to complete the remaining expansions and classroom conversions for the 2021–22 and 2022–23 school years.

Programmatic and Technology Investments to Build Upon School Success

The FY2022 budget prioritizes high-quality educational programming in neighborhoods throughout the city. CPS is investing $30.5 million in building modernization to ensure all schools are able to support 21st century learning environments, including:

• $20 million to renovate existing student recreation and athletic resources such as stadiums, athletic fields and natatoriums;
• $10.5 million in building upgrades to support STEM, STEAM, IB, and world language programs at 7 schools;

Site Improvements that Foster Learning

This year’s capital budget also includes $37.6 million to design and build new playgrounds, playlots, and school yards at over 30 schools across the city so that students can benefit from a well-rounded education that promotes healthy and active development.

IT and Security Infrastructure

In FY2022, we are also continuing our multi-year investment in the school Technology Modernization Program and high-speed internet for schools throughout the city. In FY22, the district is allocating $46.4 million to upgrade school network infrastructure to address equitable connectivity, replace aging hardware at schools, and upgrade our data warehouse and data backups.

Finally, to support student safety at every school, $2 million will fund new security equipment including cameras, intercom phones, alarms, and screening equipment.

Five-Year Capital Plan

CPS’ five-year capital plan will include further investments in deferred maintenance, targeted site improvements, and emergency projects. Future projects will be determined by assessed need, district educational priorities, and an equitable distribution of available funding. Starting with the investments being made in the FY2022 capital plan, CPS intends to target annual capital funding of approximately $550 million as part of its five-year capital investment strategy.