Chicago Public Schools terminated 1,458 school-based employees on July 11, including 432 teachers, 677 special education classroom assistants, and 311 paraprofessionals. The mass layoffs hit 57 percent of district-run schools as CPS grapples with a $734 million budget deficit.
CPS justified reducing special education support by claiming “too much support from SECAs [Special Education Classroom Assistants] will impact the independence of students post-graduation” — administrative rhetoric that masks the layoffs and abandoning students who need assistance most. The layoffs are part of the general layoff waves stemming from the economic crisis, and imperialist attempts at recovery through austerity and attacks on the people’s rights—including to education.
The current mass layoffs emerge from a period of tension between Chicago teachers and former Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration. The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) has led multiple strikes in the last 15 years which are widely credited for inspiring strikes by teachers and workers across the country. Lightfoot accused the CTU of having “aspirations akin to a political party” and said the union “brought chaos” to Chicago Public Schools. The antagonistic relationship included multiple COVID-related work stoppages where Lightfoot accused teachers of making an “illegal walkout” and “abandoned their posts” by struggling for better conditions, as well as over 443 educator layoffs in 2021 that the union said were retaliatory against CTU delegates and activists.
CTU said in a July 11 statement that summertime layoffs have become an “annual ritual” but it is a “cold comfort” that the layoffs are smaller than in 2024 and that they will work to get many of the laid off staff and teachers rehired in the district.
The current layoffs stem from federal austerity measures starving public education. The expiration of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds created a $437 million revenue shortfall for CPS, forcing program and personnel cuts. These pandemic relief funds were designed as temporary measures, ensuring public schools would face a “fiscal cliff” once support ended. The federal funding crisis facing districts like CPS reflects broader shifts in education policy that have consistently reduced federal support for public schools. CPS serves predominantly Black and Hispanic students, with 83% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch—a district serving the children of the poorest workers bears the heaviest burden of these cuts.
Privatization follows from this primary assault, appearing as the only viable alternative after public education is starved of resources. The Trump administration has accelerated this assault by withholding billions in federal education funding already appropriated by Congress. This unprecedented “impoundment” strips resources from Title I-C programs serving migrant students, Title II-A professional development, Title III-A English learner services, and Title IV-A academic enrichment programs that support well-rounded education including technical training, arts, STEM, and college readiness initiatives.
Illinois’ funding formula has worsened CPS’s crisis. Despite the so-called “Evidence-Based Funding” system, CPS remains over $1 billion underfunded by the state’s own assessment. The district uniquely funds its own teacher pensions, creating additional financial burden other districts avoid through state pension systems. The state’s latest budget provided only $30-60 million in additional CPS funding—minimal compared to the district’s massive deficit.
Image: CTU members speak against education cuts at a Chicago Public Schools hearing this year. CTU Media.
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