Chicago Public Schools proposes amended calendar, budget

Chronicle Media

Five school days will be made up in the Chicago Public Schools amended calendar. Eleven days of classroom time were lost during the Chicago Teachers Union strike. (CPS photo)

Leaders with Chicago Public Schools have announced an amended calendar and budget proposal for the 2019-20 school year, which add make-up days and reflect additional revenue and investments for fiscal year 2020.

CPS has agreed to make up five of the 11 school days missed due to the teachers’ strike.

“Schools throughout Chicago have picked up where they left off prior to the strike and are working to build on the progress that has made CPS one of the top big city school districts in the country,” said CPS CEO Janice Jackson. “We are proposing an updated calendar and budget that will ensure we make the most of this school year and prepare all of our students for success.”

 

Amended calendar

As part of the agreement to end the Chicago Teachers Union strike, CPS committed to make up five of the 11 instructional days that were missed during the strike.

The make-up days must be scheduled on days on which teachers and CTU staff would not otherwise be paid, which limited the district’s scheduling options, Jackson said. The proposed make-up days are spaced over a series of dates during the school year that were not previously scheduled as student attendance days and two additional school dates at the end of the year:

  • 27
  • 2
  • 3
  • June 17 (previously scheduled as a School Improvement Day for staff, which has been moved to June 19)
  • June 18 (previously scheduled as a School Improvement Day for staff, which has been moved to June 22)

 

“We understand that modifications to the school calendar can create real challenges for our families, and we have worked to add make-up days in a manner that prioritizes student learning and minimizes disruption to the fullest extent possible,” said CPS Chief Education Officer LaTanya McDade. “Care was taken to schedule multiple days in advance of key academic milestones, including spring AP exams, while also preserving as many scheduled breaks as possible and not extending class beyond the final week of the school year. We believe this proposed calendar effectively manages those challenges and reflects the best compromise for our families.”

 

Amended budget

CPS released a proposed amendment to the FY 2020 budget to account for new investments and salary increases made as part of the CTU and SEIU Local 73 contracts, as well as additional revenue from the city of Chicago and spending adjustments that occurred as a result of the 11-day CTU strike.

The amended budget includes $7.8 billion in revenue and expenses and utilizes the following additional revenue and cost savings to support additional investment:

  • $68 million in reduced spending attributable to the six school days cancelled due to the strike that will not be made up.
  • $66 million in additional tax increment financing surplus from the city on top of the $97 million included in the approved budget.

 

  • The additional revenue and cost savings allow CPS to support new expenses and revenue reductions:
  • $61 million in reduced revenue due to the shift of Municipal Employees’ Annuity and Benefit Fund of Chicago normal costs from the city to CPS. The shift was presented as part of the city’s proposed FY 20 budget, and brings CPS into alignment with all other city sister agencies.
  • $33 million in additional costs associated with the CTU contract.
  • $25 million in reduced short-term borrowing to promote the district’s financial health.
  • $15 million in additional costs associated with the SEIU Local 73 contract.

 

In the years ahead, costs associated with the CTU and SEIU contracts will increase at a steady rate and be exceeded by the growth in revenue from existing state and local revenue streams, according to CPS officials.

For information on the amended FY 20 budget proposal, visit cps.edu/budget.

 

Budget vote

The amended calendar and budget will be voted on by the CPS Board of Education at its Nov. 20 meeting, the same meeting that the tentative agreements with CTU and SEIU Local 73 will be brought to a vote.

Chicago Public Schools serves 361,000 students in 644 schools. It is the nation’s third-largest school district.