California

Playing favorites: Education pension spending favors wealthy, suburban schools

By Collin Hitt
05/02/2012
The problem State education funding is designed to ensure a base amount of money is available to every student in Illinois. To that end, the state strives to send more money to poor districts and less money to districts with a healthy property tax base. But a bird’s eye view of Illinois education spending reveals...

Illinoisans agree: The tax hike was a failure

By Chris Andriesen
02/23/2012
by Taylor Smith It’s no secret that Illinois’ record income tax hike has failed to revive Illinois’ fiscal health. But it also has dramatically exacerbated the state’s economic outlook on many levels. Since the tax hike, Illinois’ unemployment numbers have worsened. In 2011, Illinois’ unemployment rate increased most in the nation – by far – with 46...

New technology for old problems: 10 elements of high quality digital learning

By Collin Hitt
10/20/2011
The Problem For years, the same common challenges have escaped solutions in even the best public schools: classes move too slowly for some students but too quickly for others; course offerings in foreign language or Advanced Placement are very limited in small and rural schools; and, especially in elementary schools, the school day leaves too...

House Republicans Say No to Federal Pension Bailout for IL

10/17/2011
by Amanda Griffin-Johnson As Illinois state legislators head back to Springfield for the veto session next week, pension reform is the hot topic on everyone’s mind. The time for reform is now, but what solutions are available to legislators? The right way: Taking the difficult, but necessary steps towards real pension reform that ensures there will be money...

Illinois Business Climate Ranks in Bottom

09/20/2011
by Emily Dietrich Yesterday’s headline in the Chicago Tribune, “Illinois Among Worst States to do Business,” encapsulates what’s been on the minds of countless job creators and job seekers across the state. A new study by the Development Counsellors International reports that of the 322 U.S. corporate executives surveyed, nearly one quarter viewed Illinois as having one of...

Mr. Governor, Back Away from the Shiny Trains

06/03/2011
by Kristina Rasmussen Governor Pat Quinn is spending more of your money to study the feasibility of “high speed” rail lines in Illinois. Not daunted by the $8 billion budget deficit he’s failed to balance, yesterday the governor announced $1.25 million to study high speed rail between Chicago and Champaign. Over a billion dollars are already pouring into...

State Sovereignty. National Union.

01/31/2011
If Illinois fails financially, it will not do so in unison with the rest of the country. Will voters from Texas, Florida and the rest of the states send their tax dollars to help? Perhaps the success of "The Mount Vernon Statement" suggests not.
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Chicago Forward 2026: A pro-growth plan to end city budget deficits

Chicago’s $1.15 billion projected budget gap is the latest in a decades-long string of structural deficits. Making Chicago’s high taxes worse is not the solution.

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Diana Graham

Process for unionizing non-state workers raises red flags

By Paul Kersey
06/19/2014

CBS Chicago: Illinois’ highest-paid superintendent receives $400K per year to oversee 1,200 students

By Ted Dabrowski
05/02/2016