New poll finds broad support for new revenue
and limited backing for budget cuts or MEABF reimbursement.
Poll also shows broad interest in engaging in CPS CEO search process; demonstrates strong support for local decision-making in schools.
May 28, 2025
CHICAGO — Survey findings commissioned by The Chicago Public Education Fund highlight voters’ views on how Chicago Public Schools (CPS) should manage a budget shortfall initially projected at over $500 million. The poll reveals a clear reluctance to pursue cuts or reimburse the city for legacy pension costs.
Key findings on CPS’ budget include:
- Only 25% of voters say CPS should reimburse the city for Municipal Employee Annuity Benefit Fund (MEABF) pension payments, while 48% say it should not. Voters disapprove of borrowing as a solution to the budget gap. Only 8% of respondents would pursue borrowing as a solution.
- Voters want government officials to identify new revenue streams where they can. 53% of respondents advocate additional state revenue, and 32% say CPS should seek more revenue from the city of Chicago.
- If budget adjustments need to be made, voters want decisions to be made at the local level, not by CPS Central Office or the Chicago Board of Education. More than 75% of respondents answered “yes” when asked if Chicago’s principals should be able to hire, budget, and adjust programs for their schools.
“These results show that while voters expect accountability, they also recognize the urgent need for sustainable funding in our public schools,” said Heather Y. Anichini, Ed.D., CEO of The Chicago Public Education Fund. “Chicagoans want smart budgeting — but not at the expense of educators or students. If cuts are inevitable — and they might be for this year — they want principals working with their communities to ensure student experience is protected at the local level.”
Additional key poll findings include:
- Voters generally pay attention to what is happening in Chicago’s public schools: 77% of respondents at least somewhat closely monitor CPS news.
- Parents believe that schools’ primary objective is to prepare students for college, more than preparing students to be good citizens or preparing students for a good job. This differs slightly from non-parents, whose top choice is preparing students to be good citizens.
- Most voters do not know who their elected school board members are or have an opinion about them. Eighty percent of voters do not know who their two elected district representatives are.
- Almost three in four voters (73%) want to be involved in the search for the next permanent CPS CEO, favoring public meetings (45%) and online surveys (41%) as the best ways to make their voices heard.
- When it comes to evaluating CEO candidates, voters rate experience in student learning and development, a track record of improving student outcomes, and experience managing large organizations and budgets as more important than experience in CPS. Voters are looking for a leader who understands students (43%), has a strong track record of improving outcomes (37%), and can manage a large budget (33%). Experience within CPS itself was cited by just 18% of voters.
Methodology
This survey was conducted by Embold Research from April 18-23, 2025, among 1,126 registered voters in Chicago. Respondents were recruited using dynamic online sampling and stratified to reflect the city’s demographics. Post-stratification was performed on age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, region, and 2020 presidential vote. The modeled margin of error is ±3.1%.
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About The Chicago Public Education Fund
The Chicago Public Education Fund (The Fund) is a nonprofit organization that improves Chicago’s public schools by investing in the talented educators who lead them. The Fund is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2025, underscoring its enduring commitment to collaborating with partners across Chicago’s education sector to redefine school leadership in the city.
Media contact: Nelson Gerew, ngerew@thefundchicago.org.