Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 18
Chicago Public Schools Faces $732 Million Deficit as City Spent $639.6 Million on Migrants
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 18

Chicago Public Schools Faces $732 Million Deficit as City Spent $639.6 Million on Migrants

1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 18

Summary

  • $732 million in projected red ink is hanging over Chicago Public Schools even after the board restored cuts partly by assuming $150 million in state aid that lawmakers have not committed.
  • $639.6 million in city and grant funds went to services for migrants and asylum seekers from August 2022 through the end of 2024, a spending choice Pastor Corey Brooks argues came at the expense of struggling schools.
  • At Dulles Elementary on the South Side, 13.7% of students are proficient in English language arts and 3.9% in math, while the school spends about $16,200 per student versus districtwide estimates of $27,000 to $32,000.
  • Last summer's 1,458 layoffs—including 432 teachers and 677 special education assistants—underscore how enrollment declines, aging buildings, pensions and debt are squeezing classrooms as the deficit persists.

Insights

Why does a struggling Chicago elementary school receive thousands less per student than the district's own average?
How did a school district spending billions leave its most vulnerable students with only three percent math proficiency?
Can a financially crippled school system survive a massive deficit without permanently failing an entire generation of students?