08/30/2025
Last night, the Chicago Public Schools Board delivered a balanced and responsible FY26 budget—one that protects classrooms, avoids new debt, and stands firm on fairness.
This outcome didn’t happen overnight. It was the result of hard work, tough conversations, debates, Op-Eds, media interviews, and community engagement. I want to especially thank my colleagues in this picture——for their dedication, persistence, and willingness to wrestle with difficult decisions so that we could deliver for our families, kids, and communities.
Thank You to BM López, BM DeBerry, BM Bannon, BM Thotakura, and BM Wallace - for your YES vote as well and for voting for our kids.
To everyone else who made this possible—our civic and community partners, parents, union allies, elected officials in the Senate and House, and our City Council leaders—THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. Your voices and advocacy made all the difference.
This budget is an important step forward, but the work does not end here. Now we turn our attention to FY27 and the critical task of working with the City of Chicago to begin the process of disentanglement and working with our legislative partners in Springfield—so that we can ensure CPS can stand on strong, independent financial footing for years to come.