What’s making college unaffordable for Illinois students isn’t budget gridlock, it’s soaring administrative costs in higher education.

Unaffordable salaries and pension benefits on top of a structurally unstable retirement system have pushed CPS to the brink of insolvency despite record tax revenues.

Unfunded-mandate relief could mean a savings of $200 million annually for Illinois school districts.

Among the U.S.’ 50 largest school districts, CPS teachers’ pay ranks No. 1 for teachers with a bachelor’s degree and five years’ experience, No. 2 for first-year teachers with a bachelor’s degree, and No. 3 for first-year teachers with a master’s degree.

Chicago teachers’ salaries are based on a complex and convoluted system that has provided teachers with annual pay increases well in excess of the 2.75 to 3 percent raises proposed by the district.

Across the state, only 36 percent of third-grade black children read at grade level in 2014, while only 39 percent of Hispanic children met the standards. Yet state education rules force 4th grade children to advance to the next grade – whether they’re reading-ready or not.

Online courses could keep students engaged in their current material even when schools are closed for inclement weather.

High levels of spending and a one-size-fits-all educational system have not been able to boost student achievement in Illinois.

Here’s what Waukegan High School student Kyra Lyons had to say to CBS Chicago on the subject of the Waukegan public-school teacher strike: “Neither of them are doing anything to help the students. It’s just about money and what they want.” Kyra is a perceptive young woman. The Lake County Federation of Teachers, which has...

Chicago’s North Shore is synonymous with million-dollar homes and top-notch schools. For decades, families have left Chicago to raise their families and educate their children in the North Shore suburbs. But tucked away within those wealthy villages is a city with schools on the other end of the spectrum. Waukegan, with a population of more...