Audit Finds CPS Spent $14.5M on Travel as Student Proficiency and Chronic Absenteeism Remain High

A new audit by the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) found roughly $14.5 million in travel spending the watchdog labeled excessive across fiscal years 2023 and 2024. The report’s release has renewed scrutiny of district priorities as academic outcomes and attendance rates remain troubling.

Key findings

The OIG reported that CPS recorded $7.7 million in travel expenses in FY 2024 alone — a dramatic increase from about $300,000 in FY 2021 and higher than the roughly $3.6 million spent in FY 2019. The audit highlights trips taken by district officials to destinations including Las Vegas, Egypt, Finland and South Africa.

Academic data for spring 2024 show low proficiency levels across the district: 30.5% of students in grades 3–8 were proficient in reading and just 18.3% were proficient in math. Among 11th graders, SAT-based proficiency stood at 22.4% in reading and 18.6% in math.

Attendance also remains a serious concern. CPS defines chronic absenteeism as missing 10% or more of school days; in 2024, 40.8% of CPS students met that threshold.

Local reaction

"It is a sad commentary on just how far our city has fallen and how bad the leadership is," said Chicago pastor Corey Brooks, who added that reading proficiency in his neighborhood is around 6% and called for officials to prioritize students.

"Chicago Public Schools spend about $30,000 per student and most of the kids still can't read on grade level," said Corey DeAngelis, executive director of the Educational Freedom Institute, describing the district as failing students while consuming substantial taxpayer funds.

Critics argue that the combination of large travel outlays, stagnant academic outcomes and high absenteeism reflects deeper leadership and investment problems within the district.

CPS response

The district has said it formed a committee to review travel spending; the committee became effective Oct. 29 and a notice was circulated to staff. CPS reported it is restricting "nearly all employee travel." Officials also pointed to an ongoing upgrade to a new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) financial system that the district says will improve controls, automate reconciliations between travel requests and spending, and enforce restrictions on travel types, amounts and accounts.

In a statement, CPS said it takes the OIG findings seriously and is working to ensure district policies support high ethical standards and that employees act in the best interest of students and the city.

Implications

Observers say the audit could prompt closer oversight and policy changes, but they emphasize broader challenges remain: improving literacy and numeracy, addressing chronic absenteeism, and restoring public confidence that district resources benefit students directly.