With rising costs and sinking test scores, school district efficiency and pension reform provide ways to put more money into Waukegan classrooms and improve student achievement.
Public pensions are growing and taking a greater share of property taxes, hurting public services. Still, the average Rockford household owes over $35,000 in state and local pension debt.
The Illinois State Board of Education might have overstepped its authority by yanking recognition of schools that defied a statewide mask mandate. State lawmakers have asked the board to clarify those rules.
Nearly a year and a half after IDES closed job centers statewide, the unemployment agency began reopening offices for in-person assistance. So far 13 offices have reopened, with only one in Chicago.
The average Peoria household owns nearly $38,000 in state and local pension debt.
A group of Chicago aldermen have called for residents to prove their COVID-19 vaccination status before allowing them to attend indoor venues such as restaurants, bars and theaters
A state lawmaker has asked Gov. J.B. Pritzker for the metrics needed to drop statewide mask mandates. He also called for public hearings on masking harms to student development, others in Illinois.
Guest: Adam Schuster
The Illinois Department of Employment Security was ill-prepared to handle record numbers of unemployed workers when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, was slow to distribute federal help, exposed Illinoisans' private information, then lefts thousands on hold awaiting answers. Here's the latest.
House Bill 417 falls far short of the structural reforms Illinois pension systems require. A constitutional amendment is needed after courts blocked a real reform effort in 2018.
Pension obligation bonds, like payday loans, are a sign of mismanaged finances. Illinois not only leads the nation for using that risky debt, it owes the bulk of it.
Property taxes keep going up, but services aren’t improving. Paying more and getting less is a trend that residents want to see reversed.
Guest: Dr. Orphe Divounguy