CPS Announces Virtual FY22 Capital Budget Community Meetings to Further Promote Engagement and Equity

CHICAGO - Chicago Public Schools (CPS) today announced that it will hold five virtual meetings to engage communities on capital priorities as the district works to develop its FY22 Capital Plan, which will be released this summer. The meetings — which will be hosted by the CPS Capital Department, Office of Equity, and Office of Family and Community Engagement (FACE) — are intended to provide communities with an understanding of the district’s capital planning process and collect input to help the district prioritize critical capital needs.

Last year, the district conducted extensive community engagement and held its first-ever capital community meeting series in May 2020. Feedback collected through last year’s engagement process led to the prioritization of several FY21 capital initiatives, including restroom upgrades and parking lot refurbishment, and helped inform the district’s  Equity Index, which helps ensure resources are equitably distributed.

“Engaging the community and stakeholders on the capital investment process is a district priority, and we are looking forward to another year of community meetings on this critical topic,” said CPS CEO Dr. Janice K. Jackson. “This year, our meetings will be even more transparent and accessible, with live streaming, real-time Spanish translation and sign-language interpreters in English-language meetings. All students deserve access to high-quality educational facilities that meet their needs and we look forward to this year’s engagement process.” 

Consistent with prior years, the district will also hold public hearings to discuss the FY22 capital plan after the district’s budget proposal is developed and released later this summer. 

Four of the citywide meetings will be held in English with real-time Spanish translation and ASL interpretation, and one citywide meeting will be held entirely in Spanish to create an improved community engagement experience for Spanish-speaking families. For families unable participate, the meetings will be live-streamed on the district’s YouTube channel, and the presentation materials will be available at cps.edu in Spanish, Chinese (Simplified), Polish, Urdu and Arabic.Video recordings will be posted to cps.edu/capitalmeetings. 

Information on Virtual Capital Meetings:

Five capital meetings will be held during the first week of May. Participants for any of the meetings should register here: bit.ly/FY22capital, or tune in to the live-stream on CPS’ YouTube Channel. 

Citywide English-Language Meetings

• Tuesday, May 4, 2020, 3:00 — 4:30 p.m. 

• Tuesday, May 4, 2020, 5:00 — 6:30 p.m.  

• Thursday, May 6, 3:00 — 4:30 p.m. 

• Thursday, May 6, 5:00 — 6:30 p.m.  

Citywide Spanish-Language Meeting

• Friday, May 7, 3:00 — 4:30 p.m.

Chicago Public Schools serves 341,000 students in 638 schools. It is the nation’s third-largest school district.