Chicago Public Schools staff up 20%, enrollment down 10.5%

Staffing in Chicago Public Schools increased 20% as the number of students dropped 10.5%. Employee growth has not included regular classroom teachers.

Chicago Public Schools added 7,786 workers to the payroll at the same time it lost 38,063 students between 2019 and 2024.

It would be one thing if those extra staffers would help the district’s poor academic performance, but the number of regular classroom teachers barely changed in that time.

In 2019, there were 39,181 paid positions listed for Chicago Public Schools. By 2024, there were 46,967. That is an increase of almost 20% in five years with the growth in administrators, assistant principals, social workers and other support staff far outpacing the stagnant number of teachers.

All those extra workers on the payroll to educate 10.5% fewer students. Enrollment declined from 361,314 to 323,251.

Teaching positions, including bilingual, program option, and special education teachers, increased from 21,781 to 22,890, or by 5%. The number of regular teachers increased slightly from 13,035 to 13,196. The number of special education teachers increased significantly from 3,905 to 5,058, or by 29.5%.

Assistant principals are up from 579 in 2019 to 611 in 2024, although the number of principals did slightly decrease. Social workers increased from 489 to 690. Other support staff increased dramatically. School counselors, for example, increased from 744 to 884.

The Chicago Teachers Union has continued to demand more staff despite the district enrolling fewer students. In its 2019 contract negotiations, the CTU bargained for more school counselors and social workers. In their current contract negotiations, the CTU seeks $1.7 billion to fill 4,650 additional positions for “climate champions,” gender support coordinators, librarians and more.

Despite declining enrollment, the annual CPS budget continues to increase. The fiscal year 2025 budget totals a record $9.9 billion, up $500 million from the prior year.

Since 2012, CPS spending has increased 97% while math and reading proficiency have declined by 78% and 63%.

More staff, more money and fewer students to serve have not improved academic performance in CPS. Pay more and get less is not a winning strategy for anyone.