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3d ago

Chicago Public Schools Lays Off 161 Staff to Address $730 Million Budget Gap

King’s revised deficit estimate includes pension obligations with charter absorption costs, prompting central office layoffs ahead of school-level staffing decisions

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Zion Richards, a Curie High School senior, holds a sign reading “Protect our People, Protect our Planet” while attending a Chicago Teachers Union press conference outside of Chicago Public Schools headquarters prior to a CPS monthly board meeting on June 26, 2025. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
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Overview

  • Interim CEO Macquline King raised the district’s fiscal 2026 shortfall to about $730 million by factoring in a $175 million pension payment and $30 million in costs for absorbing five Acero charter schools.
  • On June 28, CPS notified 161 central office and citywide staff of layoffs and eliminated 209 vacant positions, affecting crossing guards, network office employees and seven CTU members.
  • School-based staffing cuts for teachers and support personnel are expected in July as part of the ongoing budget planning process.
  • Leaders of the Chicago Teachers Union and SEIU Local 73 called on state lawmakers to increase education funding, urged use of surplus TIF dollars or approval for short-term loans to protect student services.
  • King has pledged to deliver a transparent, equitable budget proposal to the school board before the district’s statutory deadline to give schools clarity ahead of the new year.