Sign up for Chalkbeat Chicago’s free daily newsletter to keep up with the latest news on Chicago Public Schools.As Chicago Public Schools weighed budget cuts this summer, officials revisited a familiar target: middle management. Staffing in the district’s 18 network offices that serve as bridges between schools and district headquarters nearly doubled over the past decade before dipping last school year as massive deficits loomed, according to a Chalkbeat analysis. The growth stemmed in part from the launch of networks for high schools under former CEO Janice Jackson. More recently, it tracked with the district’s overall staffing expansion fueled with COVID relief dollars.Although a major overhaul of these networks is on hold, CPS leaders are continuing to discuss whether they could be leaner and more responsive to schools, sources told Chalkbeat. The spotlight on networks highlights longstanding debates about their role and value, in a moment when CPS faces ballooning deficits, shrinking enrollment — and pressure to boost student outcomes. Some educators and advocates say they find their structure and roles opaque, and feel the district should steer some network funding directly to schools instead. But other principals say their networks have been a crucial source of stability and guidance amid leadership turnover in CPS. CPS CEO Macquline King first pitched rethinking the network offices last fall to align with the city’s new elected school board districts. But following pushback, the district stuck with the existing structure of 13 elementary, four high school and one alternative high school networks.The networks evaluate principals, provide guidance on improving instruction, and relay information about expectations, new initiatives, and legal compliance between schools and the CPS central office. Network chiefs’ jobs are similar to superintendents’ roles in smaller suburban districts, according to a statement from a district spokesperson. Networks had a $40 million budget last school year. To put that in context, more than $4 billion goes directly to schools. Over time, network office staffing has fluctuated from a low of 119 positions in 2017 to a recent high of 248 in 2024, before falling to 227 last year, according to the Chalkbeat analysis of positions publicly posted in June each year. Even as the district trimmed administrative and school positions to close a $732.5 million gap this summer, network staffing will remain relatively flat, with the budget for networks inching up to $42 million.King told Chalkbeat CPS focused on ensuring “that the network chiefs are successful in supporting our principals” when budgeting for the networks.Antonio Acevedo, the chief of Network 7 that last year oversaw 25 schools in Pilsen, Little Village, and parts of North Lawndale, says his lengthy list of responsibilities includes everything from coaching earlier-career school leaders to forging relationships with community groups to holding professional development sessions on topics such as the science of reading. He said he visits at least two schools a day and speaks to students often. “We are always trying to strike this balance between trust and accountability,” Acevedo said.Others say there’s room to streamline and strengthen the networks. Kia Banks, the head of the Chicago Principals & Administrators Association, the union that represents principals and has some network members, said how well the networks function varies widely depending on who is leading them. A district as large as Chicago needs “that middle layer of management,” she said, but she raised concerns about duplicative staff positions and conflicting directives from networks and the central office.“We feel many of the resources that are directed to the central offices and the networks should be placed directly into the schools,” she said.Nelson Gerew of the Chicago Public Education Fund said in his organization’s annual surveys, principals report high levels of satisfaction with their network chiefs. In the most recent one his group plans to publish later this summer, 84% of school leaders said they get key support from their chiefs, and 78% said they trust them.Nevertheless, as CPS continues to struggle with budget problems, “The networks are going to be an evergreen target,” Gerew said.King’s proposed network overhaul highlighted CPS politicsBack in September, King had floated the idea of overhauling the 13 elementary networks into 10 offices aligned with the school board electoral districts. The district had recently begun a shift to a fully elected school board, and lawmakers had drawn a map to represent voters.The four high school networks would have remained. Network chiefs and deputy chiefs would reapply for their jobs. Officials said at the time that the goal was primarily to make middle management more nimble, more responsive to school needs — and leaner. The idea caused an internal backlash. Some school leaders worried the change would sever key relationships with their supervisors and disrupt principal evaluations that had already begun. Some school board members also voiced concern that aligning the networks to the board members’ districts might inadvertently invite board members to meddle in their schools. The Chicago Teachers Union, which represents many network staffers, also expressed concern about cuts to support positions. Previous CPS administrations have put their own stamp on the network structure, including the addition of high school networks in 2018 under Jackson to give them more specialized support. Currently, between 10 and 13 people work in each network office, with some additional citywide network staff. There are also 24 central office staffers tasked with network support, according to the Chalkbeat analysis of CPS staffing data. The number of instructional support leader positions in network teams that conduct classroom observations and provide input on teaching and learning grew substantially during the pandemic, reaching a high of 112 before dipping more recently. In 2026, there were more than 80 such positions, with an average salary of $115,000. They are represented by the CTU.The average salary for network chiefs — a position that has often served as a stepping stone to top district leadership — hit a high of almost $180,000 last year, then dipped to about $160,000 this year. In total, average network office salaries have changed little even as overall CPS employee pay has risen steadily over the years.Principals: CPS networks with good leaders help schools Principals who spoke with Chalkbeat about the networks said that they can work well, although instability and bureaucratic issues can hamper their effectiveness. Augusta Smith, a former CPS principal and administrator who now works at the parent advocacy group Kids First Chicago, recalled that her former network chief, LaTanya McDade, spent a lot of time in classrooms, knew her campuses intimately, and was consistently responsive when principals needed help or advice.“I could call on her at any time, and she’d be there,” Smith said of McDade, who went on to serve as Jackson’s chief academic officer.But Smith said some network chiefs can be much more focused on ensuring compliance with central office directives. When school board member Jessica Biggs worked as a CPS principal, she had five network chiefs in as many years. She spent much time and energy getting the new arrivals up to speed, making for a “deeply unsupportive structure.” But that has changed in recent years, Biggs said: More seasoned leaders serve in these roles and act as a bulwark against the turmoil stemming from leadership changes atop CPS. “I worry about upending the one stable structure as this new administration is getting its footing,” Biggs said. Mila Koumpilova is Chalkbeat Chicago’s senior reporter covering Chicago Public Schools. Contact Mila at mkoumpilova@chalkbeat.org.
