Following an extensive community engagement effort launched earlier this school year to identify potential opportunities to strengthen school budgeting, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) today released school budgets for the 2020-2021 school year, which provide more than an additional $125 million and prioritize resources for the schools and students who need them most. School budgets for next year will provide schools a comprehensive set of supports to advance equity, enhance college and career readiness supports, expand access to free Pre-K, meet the needs of diverse learners, and increase nurse, social worker and case manager staffing levels to an all-time high in the district. CPS is monitoring the impact of the COVID-19 crisis to determine its potential impact on the district’s financial position. Based on current expectations about the district’s financial outlook, CPS does not anticipate making modifications to the plan released Tuesday.

Budget Highlights
Key investments for the 2020-21 school year include:

• $97 million in additional special education funding to advance equity and meet student needs;

• $44 million in Equity Grants to support high-needs schools and ensure all students are able to access a high-quality education;

• $18 million to expand access to free full-day Pre-K;

• $13 million in additional funding to increase nurse, social worker and case manager staffing levels to an all-time high in the district; and

• $5 million in funding to provide students at neighborhood schools with access to programs that promote college and career readiness.