CPS budget plan hedges on city pension payment, but some board members are insisting it be paid

Chicago Public School leaders on Wednesday presented a budget proposal, wiping away a $734 million deficit by a combination of mechanisms: cuts to operations and central office, refinancing debt, using $65 million from a reserve fund, counting a philanthropic donation in the budget and expecting $379 million from the city from a TIF surplus.

“We have reviewed every line to come up with a plan that is student-centered and equitable,” said CPS Budget Director Mike Sitkowski, noting that the school district did what it could to protect school-level budgets.

The most contentious part of the plan is a proposal to make a $175 million municipal pension payment contingent on CPS getting additional revenue from the state or even more money from a TIF surplus. TIFs are special taxing districts in