Chicago Public Schools (CPS) on Tuesday released its proposed $9.5 billion budget for FY2023, focused on robust classroom instruction, increased mental health supports and social-emotional learning, greater access to the arts for a well-rounded education, capital investments to deliver safe and modern facilities, and expanded professional development and ongoing coaching for teachers. The balanced budget, to run from July 1 to the end of June 2023, reflects strategic investments of state, local and federal funds across all schools and departments, with $4.6 billion in school-level funding, an increase of more than $240 million from FY2022. The FY2023 budget includes $730 million in ESSER funds to advance the District’s priorities, as follows:

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Interventions

• SEL curriculum: $5 million in funding over FY2022 and FY2023 to support the implementation of a universal SEL curriculum for all elementary schools that includes bullying prevention and other lessons that promote safe decision making.

• Counselor positions: $6 million to provide an additional 53 schools with a second, district-funded counselor at schools that need them most, based on the Opportunity Index and Violence Index, which help to measure the level of risk to students based on community. With this investment, the District will have invested $13 million of new funding over FY2022 and FY2023 to provide 117 schools with a second centrally-funded counselor position.

• Mentorship and mental health supports and partnerships: $13 million for mentorship and mental health supports from highly qualified providers to provide school-level and regional services for students, including the expansion of the District’s partnership with the Center for Childhood Resilience at Lurie Children’s Hospital, DePaul University, and other partners and vendors, which provide consultation on the District’s guidance documents, professional learning model, and targeted implementation support with priority schools.  

Budget, Capital Hearings

CPS will host public budget hearings at 42 W. Madison St., from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Monday, June 13, and from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 15. The Capital Planning Hearings are also public and will be virtual. Dates are as follows:

• Wednesday, June 15, 2022, noon to 2 p.m.

• Thursday, June 16, 2022, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

• Friday, June 17, 2022, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.