Chicago

CPS school closings: district spares some schools, but problems still persist

05/23/2013
by Josh Dwyer The big news from the Chicago Public Schools school board meeting is that Ericson, Garvey, Jackson and Manierre schools will remain open. Still, 50 other schools are on the chopping block. Forty-eight schools will close in June. Canter Elementary will get a one-year reprieve and Attucks Elementary will close at the end of...

New Oak Lawn mayor to implement Institute’s online transparency checklist

05/20/2013
by Brian Costin Residents of Oak Lawn may soon get a much-needed dose of government transparency. Sandra Bury was recently sworn in as the new Mayor of Oak Lawn, a village in the southwest suburbs of Chicago. As one of her first priorities in office, Bury intends to implement the Illinois Policy Institute’s 10-Point Transparency Checklist,...

Cleveland teachers’ contract: It’s better than the one we got

05/19/2013
by Paul Kersey In my last post, I called attention to the contract between the Cleveland Teachers Union (an affiliate of the American Federation, just like the union that represents Chicago teachers) and the Cleveland Municipal School District. The union and the district both deserve credit for releasing their contract to the media just two days after reaching...

ObamaCare comes to Chicago

05/17/2013
by Diane Cohen According to reports by the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel will finally do what he and other politicians should have done a long time ago: end costly health insurance benefits paid to city retirees. Starting next year, the mayor will begin a three-year phase out of the coverage, at which time affected...

City of Chicago plan revealed for public funding of private, DePaul University stadium

By Brian Costin
05/17/2013
Maybe you haven’t heard yet, but city of Chicago leaders have unveiled a plan to fund a new stadium for DePaul University – a private school. You may also not have heard of Chicago’s Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, or McPier, but chances are if you have ever been to Chicago you’ve probably paid taxes...

CTU plans to sue CPS over school consolidation

05/16/2013
by Paul Kersey The Chicago Teachers Union has announced plans to file a lawsuit to prevent the closure of about 50 Chicago Public Schools buildings. The union is hoping to keep as many buildings as possible open, and in the process preserve its members’ jobs. Even if the lawsuit fails, the litigation could delay the implementation...

The CPS shuffle: moving students and money, with no promise of better results

05/15/2013
by Josh Dwyer When Chicago Public Schools first announced that it was closing schools, the primary justification it gave was to save money – upward of $500,000 to $800,000 per school. It needed the money to address the looming pension cliff the city is facing next year. When people began questioning those numbers, CPS’s story...

Apples to oranges: How Rahm Emanuel and a unionized private school can have starkly different relationships with the union world

05/10/2013
by Paul Kersey In Tuesday’s Chicago Reader Ben Joravsky essentially snarks that there must be something wrong with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, because the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools where the mayor sends his children manages to work just fine with the American Federation of Teachers, or AFT, Local 2063. Emanuel, on the other hand, remains...

Unemployment woes: regional numbers show residents of Illinois cities still struggling to find work

05/10/2013
by Ted Dabrowski Illinois has the nation’s second-worst unemployment rate. At 9.5 percent, it’s two percentage points higher than the national average of 7.5 percent. That gap translates into lost opportunities and struggle for the many Illinoisans who wish to be gainfully employed. Nearly 130,000 more Illinoisans could be working today if Illinois employed people at the...

Caution: Transparency needed in Midway privatization deal

05/07/2013
by Brian Costin The city of Chicago is currently considering bids to select a private management company for the operation of Midway Airport for the next 40 years. The proceeds of the deal will be primarily used to pay off Midway’s $1.4 billion in outstanding debt and additional capital needs. As an advocate for limited...
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Causes, costs, how to set the state free

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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