Chicago

Chicago Public Schools looking for cash can start by ending teacher pickups

By Benjamin VanMetre
06/19/2013
Chicago Public Schools pension payment will increase by roughly $400 million due to the expiration of a temporary “pension holiday.” Local lawmakers knew this was coming but did nothing to prepare for the increased payment. The good news is there is a simple, responsible way to cut more than 30 percent of the increased pension...

Summer 2013 Compass quarterly magazine is here

06/19/2013
by Daniel Anthony Each quarter the Illinois Policy Institute produces Compass, a quarterly  publication filled with original writing on topics that will help make Illinois first in economic outlook and job creation. Compass also promotes personal freedom and prosperity in Illinois and America. This issue of Compass focuses on the power of school choice. Many...

Quinn eyes bad pension legislation for special session

By Chris Andriesen
06/15/2013
by Ben VanMetre Political leadership in Illinois punted on pension reform during the recent spring legislative session — a move that resulted in back-to-back credit rating downgrades. The General Assembly’s inaction and the resulting credit blows caused Gov. Pat Quinn to call lawmakers back to session. The purpose of the June 19 special session is...

Shedd Aquarium and digital badging: Reducing barriers to teachers’ professional development

06/14/2013
by Daniel Anthony Chicago has the potential to become a nationally recognized center of ed-tech excellence. Many organizations, such as New Schools for Chicago, 1871 and Shedd Aquarium, are helping make this happen. Shedd Aquarium’s digital learning efforts are helping reduce the barriers to teachers’ professional development through its innovative Teacher Badging Program. The Illinois Policy Institute is excited...

Illinois committee will reconvene to discuss pensions June 18

By Jane McEnaney
06/13/2013
Though Illinois taxpayers should be disappointed that pension reform was not enacted during the scheduled spring legislative session, they should also be relieved that fake reform was not enacted. The competing proposals offered by House Speaker Mike Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton did not offer solutions commensurate to the severity of Illinois’ pension problem (Senate Bill 1and Senate Bill...

Chicago has highest gas prices in the country

By Hilary Gowins
06/12/2013
In the fight for the highest gas prices in America, Chicago now reigns supreme. Customers purchasing fuel in the city are now paying an average of $4.59 per gallon. That’s $0.13 more per gallon than when we last reported on Illinois’ high gas prices at the end of May. Many have chalked up Chicago’s consistently high gas prices to...

Will Illinois embrace education innovation?

06/12/2013
Illinois legislators have a major decision to make: should the state adopt policies that will enable it to become a future hub of education innovation or should it institute laws that needlessly delay the policies necessary to create a school system that embraces technology? Thus far, Illinois has chosen the latter path. In fact, Gov. Pat...

Morris is ideal corruption fighting location for Illinois capital

By Brian Costin
06/03/2013
If your goal is to fight public corruption, where should Illinois’ capital be? That’s essentially the question asked in a recent Huffington Post article, which examined the results of two studies on the correlation between the remoteness of state capitals and public corruption. The surprising answer is Morris, a city of 13,636. Morris is also...

Capitol Updates: May 31

By Jane McEnaney
05/31/2013
Health care  On Memorial Day, the Illinois General Assembly passed Senate Bill 26, which drastically expands the state’s Medicaid program and is one of the key provisions of implementing ObamaCare. During yesterday’s Senate floor debate, state Sen. Heather Steans, D-Chicago, presented the bill that appropriates the funds for fiscal year 2014’s human services budget. Steans admitted that the...
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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...

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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