CPS won’t – Chicago Public Schools officials say they will not cut instructional time or keep hands off the Safe Passage program as the district faces a projected $732 million deficit. The district also says it has not considered shortening the school year, even as the Ch
On a Thursday when Chicago Public Schools was facing a projected $732 million deficit, district leaders tried to draw a bright line: no cuts to instructional time for students next year, and no changes to the Safe Passage program or crossing guards.
CPS officials said those services will remain in place as they work to close the gap. Safe Passage provides workers around schools to keep students safe during arrival and dismissal, and crossing guards help students get to class.
CPS CEO and Supt. Macquline King also told parents at the school board meeting that the district “will not limit instructional time for students next year” based on budget constraints.
The promises landed in a tense moment for many families, especially as the district acknowledges that protecting the classroom won’t be easy.
Acting chief budget officer Emila Zoko said the district asked “department leaders to determine what reductions can be made with the least impact on students.” She added that “it’s getting harder and harder to make reductions” that don’t affect “direct student programming and student supports.”
The district has already laid some groundwork for the coming year. In May. CPS announced it would reduce the number of regular teachers in the 2026-27 school year by raising the student-to-teacher ratio it uses to provide funding to schools. Many schools, CPS has said, would lose assistant principals and other positions.
For next year, CPS officials say they are planning at least $105 million in cuts to non-classroom costs—including reducing the number of custodians and central office staffers.
The district also said it will preserve partnerships with organizations that provide mentoring to students. including Youth Guidance and City Year. CPS added that it plans to add special education teachers. classroom assistants. and physical therapists for students with disabilities—roles the district says are required under federal law to meet students’ needs.
Still, the biggest dispute is not only about what gets cut, but when and where. The Chicago Teachers Union has said it was told in meetings with the district that a shortened school year was being considered as a way to close the budget gap.
Jackson Potter. the CTU vice president. said Thursday that union leaders were hearing that “up to two weeks of the school year could be canceled” to meet the deficit that would remain even after other proposed cuts take effect. Potter said those other cuts include librarians, tech coordinators, and athletic directors.
CPS denied that claim. In a written statement, a CPS spokesperson said that “at no point has the District considered shortening the school year to alleviate these financial challenges.”
King reiterated that message directly at the school board meeting, assuring parents the district “will not limit instructional time for students next year” if budget constraints remain.
Behind the push to protect the classroom is a stark accounting problem—and a list of costs CPS says are squeezing the system. Higher expenses tied to maintenance of the district’s aging facilities, labor agreements, and CPS debt payments are among the factors contributing to the projected deficit.
Officials also pointed to delayed property tax payments. Property tax payments are CPS’s single-largest revenue source. and without timely payments. CPS says it has to take out billions in short-term loans to pay staff and keep the lights on. CPS said that means millions of dollars in interest payments—money that does not get spent on classrooms.
Before the district finalizes its plan, CPS said it will release its proposed budget by July 15. The district also plans a series of community roundtable discussions before then.
Ahead of Thursday’s school board meeting, CTU members and other union officials urged state lawmakers to hold a special legislative session to increase funding for CPS.
Their argument is tied to the state school funding formula, which they said leaves CPS at 73% of what it needs to provide an “adequate education.” CTU members said CPS would be in a surplus if the state met its funding obligations.
The budget fight is playing out far from the negotiating table. Several community members spoke against planned cuts at their schools.
At Whitney Young High School, parent and local school council member Andrew Kaplan said the school is set to lose seven teaching and student support positions compared to last year due to the new student-to-teacher ratio.
Langston Ellis, a rising senior at Whitney Young, said the change would lower the quality of education.
“I have no doubt that our teachers and administrators will do all they can to support the students,” Ellis said. But he added, “the harsh reality is that programs are being cut, livelihoods are being affected.”
For now. CPS is insisting that even as it searches for $732 million in savings. the district will not touch certain frontline supports—crossing guards and Safe Passage—and will not reduce instructional time. The union’s counterclaim keeps the conflict focused on the one lever families fear most: the length and stability of the school year itself.
Chicago Public Schools CPS deficit Safe Passage program crossing guards Macquline King Emila Zoko Chicago Teachers Union Jackson Potter school year shortening instructional time July 15 budget release property tax delays