Case Study: Chicago Public Schools achieves faster ACFR/PAFR filings and cuts 500 overtime hours with Workiva

How Workiva’s ‘Miracle’ Solution Shaved Time and Costs for Chicago Public Schools

Chicago Public Schools struggled with time‑consuming, disconnected year‑end reporting for its Popular Annual Financial Report (PAFR) and Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR). Assistant Controller Dongmei Li and her team logged nearly 1,000 hours of overtime, faced formatting and collaboration headaches, and incurred about $30,000 in external consulting fees while racing to meet statutory deadlines.

By piloting Workiva with guidance from F.H. Black & Company, CPS automated reporting with live‑linked master files and cloud collaboration, enabling auditors and staff to edit in real time and customize workflows easily. The solution produced 80% of financial statements with a few clicks, cut overtime by 500 hours, eliminated the $30,000 consulting cost, and allowed CPS to complete both reports ahead of the deadline—prompting plans to expand Workiva to audit management.

Chicago Public Schools

Dongmei Li

Assistant Controller