Chicago Public Schools added 7,786 workers to the payroll at the same time it lost 38,063 students between 2019 and 2024.
It would be one thing if those extra staffers would help the district’s poor academic performance, but the number of regular classroom teachers barely changed in that time.
In 2019, there were 39,181 paid positions listed for Chicago Public Schools. By 2024, there were 46,967. That is an increase of almost 20% in five years with the growth in administrators, assistant principals, social workers and other support staff far outpacing the stagnant number of teachers.
All those extra workers on the payroll to educate 10.5% fewer students. Enrollment declined from 361,314 to 323,251.
Teaching positions, including bilingual, program option, and special education teachers, increased from 21,781 to 22,890, or by 5%. The number of regular teachers increased slightly from 13,035 to 13,196. The number of special education teachers increased significantly from 3,905 to 5,058, or by 29.5%.
