As we continue to confront the devastating realities of the proposed SY26-27 school budgets, I want to remind every member that CPAA’s first and most urgent priority has been fighting to protect Assistant Principals as foundational positions in every school. We have aggressively challenged the district’s decision to eliminate foundational AP allocations, filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge after CPS refused to honor our cease and desist demand, and continue pressing the district at the bargaining table for solutions that recognize the indispensable role Assistant Principals play in student safety, instructional leadership, operational stability, compliance, and school culture.
Beyond our fight to preserve foundational Assistant Principal positions, CPAA has consistently advocated for equitable staffing, safe learning environments, sustainable workloads, adequate operational funding, and staffing protections that ensure school leaders can meet the academic, behavioral, social-emotional, and safety needs of the students and communities we serve.
Over the last several weeks, I have received dozens of heartbreaking messages from principals and assistant principals across our city describing the impossible realities these proposed budgets are creating for school communities.
What we are witnessing is not simply a difficult budget cycle. It is a direct threat to student safety, instructional quality, school stability, and educational equity across Chicago.
School leaders are being forced into impossible choices: eliminating assistant principals, interventionists, SECAs, counselors, clerks, deans, school assistants, coaches, teachers, and security personnel simply to keep schools operational. Many principals report that after attempting to preserve critical leadership positions, they are left with little to no operational funding for curriculum, MTSS supports, instructional materials, technology, maintenance contracts, or student programming.
One principal shared that in order to keep an assistant principal position, they were forced to eliminate both a school assistant and assistant clerk position, leaving the school dangerously under-resourced for student supervision before school, during lunch and recess, and after school.
Another principal explained that after purchasing an assistant principal and interventionist position, only $13,000 remained for the entire school year’s operating expenses, including curriculum purchases, MTSS programming, and copy machine maintenance contracts directly aligned to their Continuous Improvement Work Plan priorities.
At one CPS Fine & Performing Arts Elementary School, the principal is losing an assistant principal, interventionist, and school-based coach while already operating...
Be specific about your school, situation, or concern. Board members serve as community volunteers. Here's a suggested script to copy/paste to ensure your school keeps its AP:
+
/
+
Be specific about your school, situation, or concern. Board members serve as community volunteers. Here's a suggested script to copy/paste to ensure your school keeps its AP:/
As a parent at (school name), I see my child's Assistant Principal every day - greeting students, handling emergencies, supporting teachers. I was horrified to learn that CPS is considering cutting the Assistant Principal role at my school. This isn't a position we can afford to lose. When my child needs help, the AP is there. Don't take that away from my family - cutting AP's undermines everything our community has built together.
As a parent at (school name), I see my child's Assistant Principal every day - greeting students, handling emergencies, supporting teachers. I was horrified to learn that CPS is considering cutting the Assistant Principal role at my school. This isn't a position we can afford to lose. When my child needs help, the AP is there. Don't take that away from my family - cutting AP's undermines everything our community has built together.
Chicago held its first-ever school board elections in November 2024. Enter your address to find your representative based on official district boundaries.
+
Chicago held its first-ever school board elections in November 2024. Enter your address to find your representative based on official district boundaries. CPS recently proposed a budget that cuts student success. Research shows that when Assistant Principals go, student support goes with them. Assistant principals are essential because strong leadership equals strong schools. Take action by contacting your elected school board member to ensure that each school has the leadership and resources needed to ensure student success.
Chicago held its first-ever school board elections in November 2024. Enter your address to find your representative based on official district boundaries.
Chicago held its first-ever school board elections in November 2024. Enter your address to find your representative based on official district boundaries.
CPS budget season is here and it’s clear that the district is proposing much of the same – stating that the goal is to keep cuts from the classroom and then doing the opposite. If student success is the goal, then making sure our schools have the *LEADERSHIP *and *RESOURCES *they need is essential. *YOU CAN’T CUT YOUR WAY TO STUDENT SUCCESS.*
+
CPS budget season is here, and the district is proposing cuts to student success. Research shows that when assistant principals go, student support goes with them. Together we can ensure our schools have the *LEADERSHIP** *and *RESOURCES *they need. Assistant Principals are essential because strong leadership equals strong schools, which means strong futures.*YOU CAN’T CUT YOUR WAY TO STUDENT SUCCESS.*
-
*TAKE ACTION!* Contact your elected school board members (listed by district in the table below) and remind them that *YOUR CHILDREN* and *THEIR SCHOOLS MATTER*. *DEMAND* that they ensure that each school has the LEADERSHIP and RESOURCES to ensure that your children are safe and receive the instruction they deserve.
+
*TAKE ACTION!* Contact your elected school board members (listed by district in the table below) and remind them that *YOUR CHILDREN* and *THEIR SCHOOLS MATTER*.
+
*DEMAND* that each school has the LEADERSHIP and RESOURCES to ensure that your children are safe and receive the instruction they deserve.
Check out this important article from one of our very own assistant...
