City officials on Friday announced a proposed budget for Chicago Public Schools, including an investment of nearly $1 billion for school modernization and funding for the first step of universal pre-k, officials said.
The district proposed a $7.5 billion budget, largely focused on operational costs. But the budget includes almost $1 billion in investments to new schools, new annexes and maintenance to existing schools. The number is the largest single-year capital investment in more than two decades, according to the city.
The mayor’s office said the budget would provide 3,700 more children with access to full day pre-k and 5,000 more students would have access to IB, STEM, Classical and Magnet programs.
The mayor said the 3,700 spots for pre-k would first go to children and families most in need. The priority will be on families with a household income of 45,000 a year or less.
“When we add a full day pre-k to all children, our kids are going to get 3.5 years of more classroom time,” Emanuel said during an announcement in May.
The facilities picked to run the pre-k programs were not immediately released.
In addition, the district noted that $4 million was set aside for new security equipment, including 1,000 new cameras, intercom phones, alarms and screening equipment for 50 schools.
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Public hearings have been scheduled for feedback on the budget. The final budget is expected to go to a vote at the end of the month.
