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Chicago teachers and community leaders urge state action as CPS faces large budget gap
Summary
Union leaders, parents and community advocates told the Chicago Board of Education they face needless cuts unless state and city revenue solutions are secured, citing a district shortfall exceeding $700 million and urging coordinated action in Springfield.
Public testimony at the Chicago Board of Education’s agenda review committee on May 13 focused squarely on the district’s budget, with union leaders and community members urging coordinated action to find new revenue rather than repeated cuts to school programs.
Stacy Davis Gates, president of the Chicago Teachers Union, told the board the district’s proposed budget is “unsatisfactory and dead on arrival,” and urged district leadership to join unions and city officials in pressing Springfield for additional resources. “How do you have school without teachers?” Gates asked, arguing the district should show collective force in state lobbying rather than cancel teacher trips to advocate for funding.
The appeal was echoed across multiple public commenters. Nelson Jeru of the Chicago Public Education Fund said CPS faces a budget gap “of more than $700 million” and that assumptions about local surplus revenue could still leave hundreds of millions to close; he flagged the district’s FY26 debt-service burden of roughly $1 billion as an added constraint. “Addressing this challenge will require long-term solutions, shared responsibility, and collaboration across the city and state,” Jeru said.
Labor leaders criticized specific staffing proposals. Kia Banks, president of the Chicago Principal and Assistant Principal Association, said CPAA issued a cease-and-desist over staffing changes that would alter assistant principal allocations during active bargaining and warned the union will pursue legal remedies if the district does not preserve those positions.
Board members and speakers at the meeting debated the best vehicle for pushing revenue changes. Member Thor introduced a resolution supporting progressive revenue solutions for public education; several board members called for a unified, multi-pronged campaign that pairs direct Springfield advocacy with an explicit legislative agenda and coordinated citywide pressure. Board members stressed that a mere floor resolution is not a substitute for organized, strategic engagement with state legislators and community partners.
What’s next: The board will consider the resolution in its public agenda and members signaled plans to press state lawmakers in the remaining weeks of the legislative session. Several members urged joint action with unions, city officials and community organizations to press for specific revenue measures rather than piecemeal advocacy.
