Her Majesty CTU Pres. Stacy Davis Gates has decreed CPS’ budget “dead on arrival,” although it hasn’t even been presented yet. Let’s be clear: Davis Gates’ warning is don’t make any cuts that impact her members as CPS tries to close a $732 million budget hole.
CTU leaders and Mayor Johnson claim the state is shorting the schools by $2 billion. This means the almost $33,000 per pupil the district currently spends is not enough. They’re demanding $39,000 per pupil to keep current CTU member staffing levels and to pay for salary increases.
Per-pupil funding has grown 44% since 2019, as CPS added 9,000 full-time positions despite losing 12% of its students and received record salary increases. Last year alone, CPS had 1 full time employee for every 7 students and more non-teaching employees (23,074) than teachers.
What has Chicago gained from this? No additional class time, an abandonment of academic standards, an all-out assault on school choice, and the politicization of classrooms.