Chicago Public Schools

Illinois corruption watch, July 2014

By Brian Costin
08/09/2014
The bad news keeps piling up for Illinoisans. Illinois Policy’s “corruption watch” blog series hit a new high in the month of July with nearly 100 corruption-related stories. Chicago and Springfield are the two cities most synonymous with the state’s corruption woes. Unsurprisingly, both cities dominated headlines with the top two corruption stories of the...

Chicago Public Schools’ ‘creative accounting’ symptom of a larger problem

07/24/2014
In a creative-accounting maneuver that would make Wall Street proud, Chicago Public Schools’ leadership fashioned a 14-month year for fiscal year 2015. CPS is adding 60 days to its 2015 calendar, allowing it to “generate” one-time revenues of nearly $650 million – just enough to cover its skyrocketing pension costs and help balance its budget....

Pension benefits of Chicago workers

By Benjamin VanMetre
07/21/2014
The problem Opponents of pension reform at the state and local level often argue that the average government-worker pension is modest. In a May 2011 commentary, government union chiefs Ken Swanson and Henry Bayer wrote that “at the end of a working life devoted to public service, an Illinois teacher, firefighter or librarian retires with...

TAGS: Chicago, labor

Illinois teacher licensing clouded by corruption, needs reform

By Anthony Trania
07/17/2014
Illinois’ public schools are in trouble. As if shuttering schools, the faltering Chicago Public Schools system and unfunded pension liabilities weren’t enough, it seems the teacher licensing system is mired in clout and corruption. A front page story from the Chicago Tribune on July 12 details findings of “nearly 100 cases in the past five...

TAGS: CPS: Chicago Public Schools

Illinois corruption watch, June 2014

By Brian Costin, Anthony Trania
07/09/2014
Unfortunately for taxpayers, June was a groundbreaking month for corruption in Illinois. In June alone, there were reports of 85 corruption-related stories in the state. Some of the record-breaking highlights include the following: For the first time in 33 years, the Illinois Legislative Audit Commission exercised its subpoena powers in the issuance of a subpoena...

Setting the CTU straight on teacher retirement benefits

By John Klingner
07/03/2014
Opponents of real pension reform often argue that government workers receive modest pensions. The Chicago Teacher’s Union, or CTU, is one such opponent. Under its FAQ page about teacher pensions, the union’s website states: “The average Chicago Teachers’ Pension Fund (CTPF) retiree earns $42,000 per year. Of the 87,000 retired teachers in Illinois, almost 1...

CPS layoffs another signal for real reform

By John Klingner
06/27/2014
Chicago Public Schools, or CPS, officials announced yesterday that the district laid off a group of teachers and other staff. Overall, 1,150 school district employees, composed of 550 teachers and 600 clerical support staff, are being let go by the school district. This round of layoffs comes a year after CPS let go a further...

TAGS: Chicago, CPS: Chicago Public Schools

Chicago Public Schools prom slogan: ‘This Is Are Story’

By Hilary Gowins
06/06/2014
It’s hard to deny just how poorly Chicago’s public schools are performing when it hits you in the face. Such is the case with Paul Robeson High School’s 2014 prom theme: “This is Are Story.” That image came from veteran investigative reporter Chuck Goudie, who posted this image on his Facebook page. Some people might...

Chicago’s $63 billion debt burden

By John Klingner
05/12/2014
It’s no secret that Chicago is in a pension crisis and deeply in debt. Most of that debt comes from the city’s pensions, but health insurance and long-term debt are also a significant part of Chicago’s fiscal shortfall. In total, Chicago residents are officially on the hook for $63.2 billion in government pensions, health insurance...
Load More

FAQ: How the federal scholarship program would help Illinois students

Illinois students could soon benefit from scholarship money to help them find a tutor, attend ACT or SAT prep sessions, pay tuition, get special education services or assist with other academic needs. That will happen in Illinois only if Gov. J.B. Pritzker lets the state’s schoolchildren benefit from the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit program, established...

View Report

Report Archive

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