After initially rejecting a proposed budget that would have laid off more than 1,000 employees, the Chicago Board of Education has accepted a revised $9.96 billion Fiscal Year 2027 budget for Chicago Public Schools (CPS) – a landmark amount in the nation’s history. CPS will dedicate $600.4 million from the budget toward capital projects.
The capital budget ultimately makes up 6 percent of the district’s total budget – with the lion’s share of $8.6 billion covering personnel and non-personnel costs. CPS plans to prioritize long-term investments in school facilities for the coming year, including building construction, renovation and installation of infrastructure-based technology.
The district has split the capital budget across seven distinct categories, ensuring funding is directed to where it’s needed most. These include:
- Facility needs and interior improvements – $347.2 million.
- ITS priorities and facility equipment – $70.5 million.
- Site improvements – $64.4 million.
- Mechanical upgrades and repairs – $61 million.
- Capital project support services – $26 million.
- Educational programming – $25.3 million.
- ADA accessibility – $6 million.
The largest portions of the capital budget will prioritize critical renovation projects and address facility needs. The district plans to implement 18 roof and envelope projects and 17 mechanical system renovation initiatives. Additional funding has also been allocated for unanticipated emergency repairs, space efficiency and interior improvements and fire alarm system replacement.
CPS plans to spend millions in programmatic investments, shoring up school amenities, services and available resources. These projects will include renovating pre-K schools, improving nutrition and food services, supplementing student recreation and athletic resources and supporting the stadium and swimming pool refurbishment program.
In addition, the capital budget covers projects to build playgrounds, playlots and schoolyards across Chicago. The district will continue the Space to Grow program, improve parking lots and replace turf fields. Other priorities will include improving ADA accessibility across all campuses, modernizing restrooms and supporting energy-efficiency initiatives. Examples of these energy-efficiency plans include:
- Replacing existing equipment with energy-efficient equipment.
- Replacing steam heating systems with hydronic systems.
- Implementing lighting controls.
- Replacing or adding Building Automation Systems (BAS) for more efficient systems operations.
- Installing heat pumps.
- Replacing existing roof-mounted equipment with energy-efficient alternatives.
- Improving roof reflectance.
- Installing water and airtight roofing systems.
As CPS continues to emphasize better technology infrastructure, the budget will also support the Technology Modernization Program and integrating high-speed Internet across all schools in the city. Additional work will go toward improving school network infrastructure, replacing outdated hardware and upgrading the district’s data warehouse and data backups.
The revised version of the nearly $10 billion CPS budget comes with some strings attached – notably a sizable budget deficit. The original proposal started with a $732.5 million deficit. Through negotiations and further refinement, CPS was able to close that gap to a remaining deficit of $281.7 million.
Photo by Ali Ahmad Danesh from Pexels
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