Chicago had nearly 15,000 municipal employees paid at least six figures in 2017, up more than 1,000 from the previous year. That’s more than 40 percent of the city’s workforce.
Lame-duck Illinois Senate passes pay hikes for state department leaders
The outgoing Illinois Senate voted with the House in approving large pay increases for state department heads. The bill now heads to the governor’s desk, though likely not until J.B. Pritzker is sworn in.
Rauner vetoes bill mandating $40,000 minimum salary for teachers statewide
Dictating teachers’ salaries from Springfield would impose a costly mandate on local school districts and expose struggling homeowners across the state to property tax hikes.
Chicago-area water district official resigns without explanation, collects $95K severance package
David St. Pierre is the latest Illinois government employee to receive a generous severance package, despite leaving under questionable circumstances.
Amid cuts to school band program, Norridge-area taxpayers fund 59 district employees making over $100K
Duplicative school districts and an excess of publicly funded six-figure salaries have educated Norridge-Harwood Heights taxpayers on the benefits of consolidation.
Belleville school districts are ripe for consolidation
Illinois has more units of local government than any other state in the country, many of which are duplicative and overlapping. In Belleville, where the majority of the city’s school districts cover fewer students than the state average, consolidation efforts could boost efficiency while saving taxpayer dollars.
As Alton shrinks, school district administrator salaries grow
More than half of local school district administrators earn more than $100,000, and those incomes will get a boost after a recent board decision.
More than 230 Belleville school district employees earn more than $100K
Many school district employees’ earnings are more than double that of the typical Belleville household.
Taxpayer victory: General Assembly passes bill restricting golden parachutes for government officials
Senate Bill 3604 would limit government workers’ ability to collect extravagant severance packages, also known as “golden parachutes,” on their way out of office.
Highland Park school board awards $300,000 severance to departing superintendent
The excessive severance package comes as a bill curbing golden parachutes sits in the Illinois House of Representatives.