Overview

• The U.S. Department of Education will withhold Magnet Schools Assistance Program money from Chicago, including $5.8 million this year and $17.5 million over the remaining grant period.
• Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor demanded CPS scrap its Black Student Success Plan and change transgender policies to retain eligibility, then rejected the district’s request for more time.
• CPS counsel Elizabeth K. Barton said the department has not cited specific legal violations or evidence of harm and criticized a rushed process while Title VI and Title IX investigations remain open.
• The loss creates roughly an $8 million gap in CPS’s current $10.2 billion budget tied to magnet programming, and officials are exploring ways to backfill funding.
• The move mirrors actions against New York City and Fairfax County, heightening concerns about broader federal funding risks as Fitch recently revised CPS’s bond outlook to negative.