There’s no room in the budget to cut, we’re told.

All education dollars are for the children, we’re told.

So why did Chicago Public Schools bankroll a teacher’s $4,700 trip to a Hawaiian luxury resort, a suburban spa retreat for elementary school staff and limo (not Uber) services to and from Chicago airports?

Many folks can’t even expense a ride-share for a work event.

CPS’ Office of the Inspector General is calling on district leaders to tighten travel rules after uncovering “questionable, excessive and even exorbitant” spending on overnight trips, according to a report released Wednesday.

The report found that CPS travel expenditures on things such as airfare and lodging more than doubled from 2019 to 2024, jumping to $7.7 million from $3.6 million before the pandemic.

Consider the genesis of this investigation. According to the OIG’s office, the whole thing started because they received a complaint about an elementary school that paid more than $20,000 to one vendor for staff travel to Egypt — without proper approval. The trip was canceled one day before folks were scheduled to leave, and thus a can of worms was opened.

The Hawaii trip and Egypt tours weren’t anomalies, they were part of a broader culture of indulgence. From Orlando to Las Vegas to Disney World, CPS employees repeatedly stretched or ignored the rules: unapproved conferences, inflated fares, upgraded suites and limo rides to the airport — paid for with public money.

Eight schools used more than $140,000 in CPS funds for 15 staff trips to Finland, Estonia, Egypt and South Africa, and 13 of 15 lacked preapproval. These tours mixed professional development with high-end tourist activities such as game-park safaris, hot-air balloon rides, camel rides and shopping excursions.

But wait, there’s more.

One CPS employee’s four-day Orlando trip in June 2024 cost taxpayers $3,292, including $466 in travel agency fees added on top of airfare, hotel, conference and private sedan costs.

One principal attended seven conferences in two years. Another booked a suite in Las Vegas and shared it with their non-CPS employee spouse for the couple’s anniversary, booking the lodgings for an extra day without approval.

Large portions of staff from some CPS schools traveled to out-of-state conferences in tourist destinations such as Las Vegas and Disney World, even though similar events were available within driving distance of Chicago.

The same year, just eight CPS schools or departments each racked up more than $100,000 in overnight travel costs — including two that topped $200,000 — while 197 schools didn’t spend a single dollar on travel.

What is going on here?

Don’t get us wrong — we accept that travel has gotten more expensive and that folks can benefit from professional development. Understanding best practices in the field of teaching is a good thing.

And yet the picture painted in this report is one of decadence and disregard for the district’s financial reality — of profligate spending on the taxpayers’ dime while many regular people can’t even afford a modest family vacation.

Inspector General Philip Wagenknecht told the Tribune that the report intentionally avoided naming schools or staff, saying it reflected “a systemwide failure to enforce rules” rather than isolated misconduct.

We understand his reluctance to name names. But anonymity blunts accountability, and without it, there’s little deterrent to future abuse. Which were the eight schools? Taxpayers have a right to know.

CPS officials acknowledged that the district had not been routinely reviewing or tracking overnight travel expenses each year. Administrators routinely signed off on lodging and airfare that exceeded allowable rates by two or even three times — and in some cases, more. The report describes failures in the district as having a “flawed travel approval process” and a “deficient bookkeeping system.” Perhaps that’s how travel agencies were able to tack on fees of up to 20%.

That is inexcusable. If this is how oversight works within the district, it’s not hard to see why its finances are in shambles. We have written in support of former CPS CEO Pedro Martinez’s leadership, but much of this mismanagement occurred on his watch. We’re disappointed at the deep cracks exposed here.

The OIG reported that CPS has imposed a districtwide freeze on most staff travel, canceled unapproved overseas trips, and is weighing discipline for employees involved in document fraud and misuse of funds. The district is also overhauling its travel policies and databases, and tightening vendor contracts to prevent future abuses.

Good.

But this is a district of half-full schools and empty coffers. As regular Chicagoans tighten their belts, so too must CPS — starting with an outright ban on luxury travel until its finances are in order.

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