Chicago Public Schools

New Chicago Public Schools promotion policy moves students ahead, but leaves them behind

10/18/2013
Every year, thousands of struggling Chicago Public School, or CPS, students are sent on to the next grade despite the fact that administrators and teachers know they aren’t ready – and they are destined to fall further behind. Research shows that promoting students before they are ready can have devastating long-term effects. In fact, unprepared...

TAGS: CPS: Chicago Public Schools, CTU: Chicago Teachers Union

Number of Illinois union bosses earning six-figure salaries continues to grow

By Paul Kersey
10/16/2013
In Big Labor mythology, union leaders are gritty, idealistic working class people standing up to the arrogant and wealthy. In reality, running a union is big business, and a union gig can mean making a pretty good living. Illinois teachers unions can be particularly generous with compensation. In “The Labor Book,” we looked at government...

TAGS: AFSCME: American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, IFT: Illinois Federation of Teachers, SEIU: Service Employees International Union

Legislators call for Chicago Public Schools to play by the same education funding rules

10/15/2013
Chicago Public Schools, or CPS, has been getting special treatment from the state for almost 20 years when it comes to funding for special education, transportation and nutrition programs. According to a recent report in the Belleville News-Democrat, CPS received $607 million in a special block grant from the state last year for these programs...

TAGS: CPS: Chicago Public Schools, Dwight Kay, Sandy Pihos, TIF: Tax Increment Financing

Freedom for workers – teachers can get out of paying union dues

By Paul Kersey
10/01/2013
Illinois public school teachers are required to financially support unions whether they want to or not. They don’t have much of a choice – it’s either pay up, or give up teaching. Union bosses claim to have teachers’ best interests in mind, but despite this they sometimes make outrageous demands that cost teachers their jobs....

TAGS: agency fees, Civil Rights Act, Hudson Rights, Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board, TRS: Teachers’ Retirement System

The hidden bill: Chicago taxpayers and the looming crisis

By Benjamin VanMetre
09/17/2013
The city of Chicago has long been regarded as an economic engine of the Midwest. It is home to some of the country’s largest industries and more than 30 of the nation’s Fortune 500 companies. Chicago is accessible by road, rail and water, and is located in a state that boasts an abundance of natural...

It’s time for Illinois politicians to embrace school choice

By Chris Andriesen
09/13/2013
Kyle Olson Publisher, Founder and CEO EAGnews.org America is supposed to be about freedom. One of the founding principles of our country is that we are naturally endowed with the inalienable right to choose how we want to live our lives. We drive the cars we want. We shop where we want. We live where...

Indiana decision to strike down Right-to-Work law should not stand

By Paul Kersey
09/11/2013
Judge John Sedia of the Lake County, Ind., Superior Court has held that the state’s Right-to-Work law violates the state constitution. While the Sept. 9 decision is disappointing, neither union officials nor union critics should put much stock in it. The state will appeal the case to the Indiana Supreme Court, which is very likely to reverse...

The CTU strike, one year later – the battle lives on

By Paul Kersey
09/10/2013
A year ago, schoolchildren throughout Chicago were returning to class as the Chicago Teachers Union, or CTU, and Chicago Public Schools, or CPS, officials reached an agreement, ending a bitter nine-day strike. Looking back on the strike and its aftermath, there were few clear winners; but there were many losers. In the wake of the...

Tattered union label

By Paul Kersey
08/31/2013
Unions exist to give workers greater leverage in negotiating over compensation and working conditions, and to give them some protection from unfair treatment at the hands of management. If union officials are doing their jobs well, workers should be receiving better wages and benefits, and should be more secure in their jobs. But that’s not...
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Pathway to a Profession: How Apprenticeships Could Reshape Illinois’ Beauty Service Industry

Occupational licensing requirements present one of the steepest barriers to low-income Illinoisans starting careers in beauty services. Illinois requires anyone seeking to become a barber, cosmetologist, nail technician or hair braider to obtain a state license, essentially a permission slip to work. Unlike 45 other states, Illinois offers only one pathway to licensure for each...

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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