What is the Capital Improvement Program? 

Beginning in January 1996, the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) established a five-year Capital Improvement Program (CIP) to renovate school buildings in disrepair, upgrade school facilities, and carry out new construction to alleviate overcrowding or replace old, unsafe school buildings.  The formal opportunity for public input into CIP requests has been through CPS’ annual Spring capital budget hearings, where schools and parents have an opportunity to explain the basis for capital requests in hopes of receiving funds to meet their schools’ needs.  In the end, the Chicago Public Schools, without a community advisory panel (dissolved in 1999), determines as to which schools will receive funding based on three broad goals, as follows:

1. Relieve Overcrowding through new school construction
2. Provide school building Renovations and Rehabilitation upgrades
3. Provide Educational Enhancements (i.e. Playlots, campus parks, site improvements, lockers, etc.)

Below, you can see how CPS has allocated funds for this school year 2002-2003 (FY 2003).

CPS’ FY 2003 Capital Improvement Program Budget By Category

Funded New School Construction Projects

How much has been spent? 

Since Spring 2002, CPS has invested more than $2.4 billion towards improving our schools; however, more than $2 billion worth of capital projects remain unfunded!  Thanks to a $1 billion appropriation for statewide school construction, Chicago’s capital program can expect to receive about $100 million from the State for each Fiscal Year 2003 and FY 2004. But we must remember that there will always be a need for ongoing capital funds and a capital program.  This is why it is crucial to encourage our elected officials to prioritize funds for school construction all across Illinois so that funding will be available. CPS must create a more balanced and strategic long-term “Facility Master Plan” so that our school capital projects are not missed or forgotten, but are well-planned, and prioritized in a fair way that is responsive to schools throughout all of Chicago neighborhoods.

CPS’ Capital Improvement Program: An Analysis of Shifting Priorities

Seven schools were slated to receive funds for a new school or addition, according to last year’s FY 2002 CIP plan, at a projected cost of $159 Million.  The schools left out of this year’s 2003 school construction project list include: 1) New Area School (Cameron/Casals/Munoz/ and Marin), 2) Carroll, 3) Langston Hughes/Davis Developmental, 4) Davis/Shields Area School, 5) Hammond/Kanoon/Spry Area School, 6) Lee/Pasteur, 7) Sandoval/Sawyer/Peck l.  While dwindling funds may partially explain why all of the schools were NOT funded this year, 2 schools that did receive New School Construction funds for FY 2003 were not priorities in last year’s CIP.  While these 2 schools are certainly overcrowded and have been patiently waiting for their new school, CPS skipped over seven other schools from last year’s CIP, and bumped 2 schools to the front.  

Below are recommendations that should be adopted so that CPS’ capital program can be more comprehensive and CPS’ decisions more accountable.

• Establish a Facilities Master Plan.  The above example illustrates why CPS needs to establish a clear Facilities Master Plan, to establish accountability over the priorities CPS sets. Projects should be ranked and funds allocated based on the greatest need. A Facilities Master Plan will serve as a clear and transparent "rule book" and “road map” so that the public is not wondering about delayed and promised projects, and schools and communities can feel confident that CPS’ projected timeline can be counted on.  A Facilities Master Plan would create greater public trust in CPS’ spending priorities and decisions.
• Re-constitute a Citizens’ Advisory Committee. Such a committee can give the public a voice in examining to sustain long-term funding for the capital program, recommending more meaningful ways to engage the public in school facility issues, and developing the Master Plan to balance school facility needs across the city.
• Commit to work with parents and communities to develop creative solutions for:
• Underutilized schools and schools closings, and
• Overcrowded schools
There is clearly a need for more inclusive participation in capital planning. By acknowledging these two critical issues as key priorities for Chicago public schools, we can gain the public’s commitment to participating in the process of finding solutions to these challenges.
• Commit to full disclosure and publication of the annual Capital Budget and CPS’ Capital Improvement Plan, in hard-copy form, so that the public can readily identify school capital projects (completed and projected), building assessments, code violations, the amount of funding for projects identified, and their funding sources. CPS’ capital budget is vitally important information that parents, community stakeholders, and teachers are deeply interested in being able to access. Having some information in the CPS web site is not enough.

For more information, contact: 

Andrea Lee, NCBG Schools Initiative Coordinator, (312) 939-7198.