When teacher assistant Jared Edwards was laid off at Curtis Elementary in Roseland this summer, it was the second consecutive year his position had been cut. This time, he hopes it won’t be permanent: As Chicago Public Schools moves to reverse some layoffs, his principal told him he could be called back.

But with classes beginning Monday, a decision about his return could still be weeks away. “My biggest concern is just the impact on the classroom,” he said.

Last month, school board members aligned with the Chicago Teachers Union approved an amended $10.11 billion budget directing CPS leaders to rescind hundreds of layoffs. The plan hinges on $150 million in unconfirmed state funding that, CPS officials warned, could leave CPS vulnerable to credit downgrades, higher borrowing costs and midyear cuts if the money doesn’t materialize.

CTU and its allies counter that the risk underscores the need for the state to provide more funding for CPS, rather than force schools to absorb staffing cuts.

CPS is taking steps to restore some positions, but questions remain about how the process will unfold as the school year begins.

Earlier this month, the district said the money allocated in the budget won’t be enough to restore every impacted position, which includes more than 700 teachers. Meanwhile, CPS and the CTU still face an uphill battle in Springfield to secure the additional funding — with no clear indication that the money will come through.

Before the board’s vote, Kia Banks, president of the Chicago Principals & Administrators Association, voiced support for the amended budget and restoring positions. But this week, she said the timing has created an added burden for principals, arguing that “this should have been done in the spring.”

“The budget amendment being done at the late time it was, especially without consultation on what it would take to actually restore the positions, has created complications that I don’t think the board members fully comprehend,” Banks said.

Principals are not being required to reopen their school budgets, which were finalized in June. They were sent a survey earlier this month, obtained by the Tribune, asking them to rank their school’s most critical eliminated positions. CPS said it will prioritize positions ranked high by principals if the affected employees want to return.

Banks said the process could take “anywhere from two weeks to two months.”

Speaking at the board meeting earlier this month, one principal said changing school budgets could create “a massive, unnecessary distraction.”

“We need to launch this year with clarity and positive momentum, not chaotic readjustments,” said Jeffrey Finelli, the principal at Edison Park Elementary in Norwood Park.

A CPS spokesperson did not respond to questions about how many principals had taken the survey or the district’s timeline for the process. The district also did not say how many positions will be restored, but stressed it is working with school leaders to “evaluate needs, make decisions and implement offers as efficiently as possible.”

This week, CEO Macquline King traveled to Springfield to meet with lawmakers as the district looks to drum up more revenue. CPS has also hosted weekly budget updates for families in the lead-up to the start of school.

Still, some parents say the process remains unclear — and express hesitation on relying on shaky state funds.

Stephen Mitchell, chair of the Local School Council at Bronzeville Classical Elementary, said he still doesn’t know whether the district will restore any of the positions the school lost, including one teacher and two teaching assistants.

“The last I heard is that some of the positions we thought we were losing, they’re on the fence,” Mitchell said. “Families are feeling the pinch.”

Mitchell is well acquainted with tight budgets. For the past two years, the LSC has rejected the school’s spending plan to protest its funding and staffing allocations, he said, a largely symbolic move because central office retains final financial authority over schools.

But while Mitchell stressed that the school’s funding levels are “simply not sustainable,” he worries the state will not step up.

“You’re relying on somebody that has failed to pay you money in the past, to now pay you money,” Mitchell said. “They arguably owe it, but I’m just wondering how that’s going to work. And if they don’t pay, what happens?”

CTU, meanwhile, has lauded the district for beginning the reversal process. The union has repeatedly pointed to the state’s Evidence-Based Funding formula, which says that CPS is funded at just 70% of adequacy. In an email to members earlier this month, CTU officials said: “This is what a strong start to the school year looks like.”

“At least the board is trying to do better,” said Edwards, the laid-off teacher assistant. “I do have faith in the budget … We’re going to continue to have this problem year after year, until the governor pays his bills.”

Mom-of-five DeLisa New Williams, LSC chair at Neil Elementary in Chatham, recognized that the district is chronically underfunded, but said she believes the district needs to “bail itself out” before turning to the state.

She’s worried about the possibility of midyear cuts and what that could mean for students.

“Us not knowing this answer today, days before school starts, is just not showing great stability for our students and our families,” Williams said. “What plan is in place? Are you calling Chance the Rapper? So this is where I’m at.”

Aside from state revenue, another funding source that could fill the gap is a surplus from tax increment financing districts, or TIFs. The district’s current budget assumes $285 million in TIF funds, though the final amount will be set by City Hall later this year. Last year, the district received a record $576 million from TIF — more than twice its current assumption. But some board members have said there have been no conversations with city officials to suggest that level of funding will return.

Without extra cash by the end of December, the district said it will have to resort to cuts. Earlier this summer, the district proposed a midyear spending freeze and five furlough days to help close its $732 million budget gap, measures that could be back on the table.

Even if additional funding were to materialize in Springfield, it’s unlikely the money would reach the district in time to affect this fiscal year, according to CPS.

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