The Chicago Teachers Union registered its opinion on legislation more than 1,360 times in just six legislative sessions. Its legislative priorities would drive up taxes and make government more expensive, no matter where you live in Illinois.
The Chicago Teachers Union pours money into political campaigns, but that isn’t all. It also pressures lawmakers to abide by its legislative agenda. It’s a one-two political punch: helping elect lawmakers and then telling them what to do.
It could be because less than 22% of SEIU HCII’s spending is on representing workers – what should be the core purpose of the union.
The graduation and postsecondary enrollment rates in Chicago were below the statewide average in 2022. Reading and math SAT scores were also below the Illinois average. Other large districts in Cook and the collar counties performed better.
An ominously titled document by close confidants of new Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson states the new administration’s top priority is to take more money from households making $100,000 or more to fund what they claim is a “just Chicago.”
Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s temporary tax relief expires July 1 when Illinois reinstates the grocery tax instead of joining the 37 states that don’t tax groceries at all.
Illinois may soon require all public school districts to front the costs of a full-day kindergarten program starting in 2027. There is no designated financial support from the state. Opponents said it’s not about a lack of desire or need, but the lack of funding.
Illinois was one of 14 states that made it legal for restaurant and bar owners to deliver cocktails or sell them to-go as a survival tactic during the COVID-19 pandemic. Gov. J.B. Pritzker just signed the bill to extend the policy into 2028.
“The biggest thing is that people need to be empowered, not the government. We’ve seen such a transfer of wealth from individual people to the government. Such a transfer of authority.”
Illinois is in the minority of states graduating a higher percentage of students during the first two years of the pandemic. But state data shows those high school students’ SAT scores are dropping and a smaller percentage are immediately continuing onto higher education.
This edition of The Policy Shop is brought to you by director of fiscal and economic research Bryce Hill. They say numbers don’t lie. If so, Illinois communities are now faced with an undeniable truth: 85% of them experienced population decline in 2022, with Chicago, the heart of our state, suffering a loss of nearly...
The Illinois General Assembly approved $100 million in grants so students can choose a private or public university. But when it comes to giving that private or public choice to low-income students, there soon may be no choice at all.