Dozens of parents, teachers and union leaders told the Chicago Board of Education on Aug. 13 that proposed or planned cuts to custodial and other school support staff would harm students and communities already carrying long histories of underfunding.

Union representatives from the Chicago Teachers Union and Service Employees International Union framed the public testimony at the Agenda Review Committee meeting. Jackson Potter, CTU vice president and a history teacher, praised recent contract wins but urged the district to challenge past financial practices that he said have harmed schools: “We can’t balance the budget on their backs because there’s always been two sides, the privatizers and those who want to invest in our young people,” Potter said.

SEIU Local 73 president Diane Palmer, speaking on behalf of service staff, described custodians, lunch workers and other classified employees as essential to safe and equitable schools, and urged the board to use negotiated and city resources to prevent layoffs. Greg King of SEIU Local 1 highlighted recent reductions that union members say have already cut hundreds of custodial positions and warned of cleanliness and safety problems if staffing falls further.

Several parent speakers from neighborhoods including Austin and Pilsen urged the board to seek more state revenue and objected to solutions that would close or reduce services at neighborhood schools. Parents described schools losing librarians, extracurricular programs and support positions and said they feared further cuts would force students to travel farther for school or lose culturally relevant programs.

Why it matters: Custodial and support staff maintain school facilities, supervise lunch and safe passage operations and provide critical student supports. Unions framed the dispute as both a budget and an equity question: they argued that layoffs disproportionately harm Black and Latine staff and the students they serve.

Board response: Multiple board members acknowledged the testimony and said they will continue to press city and state leaders for revenue. Member Lopez encouraged faster coordination with labor to preserve red‑shirted seniority and placement for displaced workers. Vice President Bautista and other board members urged sustained advocacy in Springfield and City Hall during the fall legislative sessions.

Next steps: The budget presentation and hearings later this month will show whether the FY26 proposal’s central‑office reductions and one-time measures avoid school‑level layoffs or require additional local or state funding. Unions and parent groups said they will continue organizing and will seek concrete commitments during the budget hearings.