If voters pass Amendment 1 in November, it will give teachers unions unprecedented power over what happens in schools. That power could never be curbed.
Illinois is experiencing one of the nation’s worst recoveries for leisure and hospitality jobs. Of the Illinois jobs that vanished since the COVID-19 pandemic, 35% are in leisure and hospitality – the most of any industry.
Illinois Department of Children and Family Services Director Marc Smith was charged for contempt of court four times in six weeks. The latest was a 16-year-old girl relocated 25 times through foster homes, shelters and psychiatric hospitals.
Chicago Teachers Union takes credit for spreading the “new gospel” of union strike power across the nation. If the CTU-backed Amendment 1 passes in November, it will lock the union’s militant tactics into the state constitution, to the detriment of children and parents statewide.
Chicago Teachers Union President Jesse Sharkey announced he’s returning to the classroom once his term expires in June. Sharkey has led CTU since 2014 through three work stoppages.
Chicago property taxpayers face a nearly 5% hike this year after a decade in which their bills nearly doubled. The city failed to capitalize on the COVID-19 stimulus windfall like others did.
A financial watchdog report estimated each taxpayer in Chicago would need to pay $43,100 to settle the city’s debt. It stands at No. 2 for big U.S. cities. Blame city leaders for repeatedly making pension debt worse.
Published Jan. 27, 2022 Illinois’ economy was shaken by the COVID-19 pandemic, but 2021 was supposed to be a year of recovery. Unfortunately, the policy climate continues to be the state’s biggest liability despite high vaccination rates, great natural endowments, a talented workforce, a large financial sector and a growing tech industry. While Illinois boasts...
The village of Skokie issued $176 million in new bonds to fund shortfalls in public safety pensions. The village joins a growing list of municipalities forced to borrow to meet “unsustainable” pension obligations.