Community members got a chance on Tuesday to tell the Chicago Board of Education what they think about the proposed budget for Chicago Public Schools.

A pair of public hearings was held Tuesday as school district leaders grapple with how to close a $734 million budget gap.

Interim Chicago Public Schools CEO Macquline King has proposed a nearly $10 billion budget plan for the 2025-26 school year that does not include a high-interest short-term loan backed by Mayor Brandon Johnson.

Former CEO Pedro Martinez refused to include such a loan in last year's budget, and was fired by the previous school board.

"We need a budget with an emergency plan; a budget for the school district that takes into account contingencies," said Chicago Teachers Union vice president Jackson Potter.

King's budget proposal also does not include a guaranteed reimbursement to the city to pay for pension costs for non-teaching CPS employees. The proposal would only provide that payment if the city or state provide new revenue for the district.

A parent advocacy group called Kids First Chicago has argued the city, not CPS, should be responsible for those pension payments.

The CPS budget plan also includes cuts to meal prep staff, crossing guards, janitors, and central office workers.

"Let's be honest," said CPS special education teacher Keerti Nandan. "Who do you think it impacts when you take away hot lunches from students? That is a cut to the classroom."

The board must pass a budget by Aug. 28, which could be tricky since half of the board is picked by the mayor, who is pushing for that high interest short term loan. The other half of the board is elected by Chicago voters.

Some other options if the district doesn't take out the loan include refinancing debt and another $126 million in administrative cuts.

With the deadline to pass the budget at the end of the month, any decision on that controversial loan will be critical to finalizing a spending plan.

"We aren't going to have a stalemate, and we aren't going to shut down our schools," Mayor Johnson said Tuesday.

Teachers in River Forest to begin school year without contract

Meanwhile, teachers in at least five suburban school districts are fighting for a new contract. In River Forest, teachers in District 90 will begin the new school year Wednesday without a contract — negotiations have been going on there since April.

"We are very high-performing, yet we are not paid as a high-performing district in terms of our salaries," said Cindy Crannell, co-president of the River Forest Education Association.

Teachers' pay and time off benefits are two of the main sticking points.

"While it seems like they are listening, they are still choosing to not make the right move," River Forest Education association president Lauren Baiocchi said of district leaders.

Those district leaders in River Forest District 90 said they will do their talking at the bargaining table, and declined to comment beyond this statement:

"The District 90 Board of Education periodically engages in a collective bargaining process to negotiate successor labor contracts with the local teachers' union, the River Forest Education Association (RFEA).  

"Negotiation teams representing District 90 and the RFEA began discussions in April 2025 for a new collective bargaining agreement, and the parties are continuing to work toward reaching a final negotiated agreement.

"To support an efficient and productive negotiation, District leaders are not discussing the proposed terms outside the negotiating table.

"While negotiations continue, District 90 schools will operate as usual, and the parties will follow the terms of the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement."

Teachers in Naperville Community Unit School District 203 also remain without a contract, and are threatening to strike if they do not get one.