For those Chicagoans following the news lately, you’ve surely seen the headlines regarding the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Board, which has reignited conversations around the relationship between education and funding. The issue of funding education in America can be controversial and stir strong passions. While we wish for a world in which schools’ fiscal needs were always met, the unfortunate reality is that, like many things, funding education is a complex, and often confusing, issue.
The following article “The State of CPS Funding” written by Academic Approach’s Chief Strategy Officer Brad Kessler (who was previously a senior leader at Chicago Public Schools’ Central Office) seeks to break down the current situation facing CPS.
He walks through the details of CPS’s 2024-2025 budget, comparing it to the 2014 CPS budget, and highlights the increased cost per student, which, does not necessarily align to student proficiency numbers. Kessler also details the previous CPS funding formula (a “per pupil” funding model) and the new one that has been enacted (largely based on an Opportunity Index to evaluate school needs).
While this is a time of political turmoil in Chicago’s education sphere, Academic Approach remains solely focused on helping our students achieve their best possible growth and supporting our teachers and school partners with whatever they need (including helping them through Illinois’ decision to change its state-mandated high school assessment from the SAT to ACT) so that they can focus on what they do best: teaching.
We will continue to keep you informed about any changes in the testing and education industry that may directly impact your student or classroom.
Please note that any opinions expressed in this piece are those of the author, and not Academic Approach.