Detroit

How Detroit’s collapse hurt Detroit Public Schools – a lesson for Chicago

08/13/2013
In the wake of the Detroit bankruptcy, the media have paid a lot of attention to the effects of Detroit’s massive population loss – increased corruption, ineffective public safety and an unsustainable pension system, to name a few. But among the hundreds of articles written about the city after it declared bankruptcy, no one has...

Devil’s Night

By Paul Kersey
08/13/2013
I grew up in Detroit, and as far back as I can remember my hometown was in trouble. But if there was a time when people just gave up on the place, it was probably October 30, 1984 — just a couple weeks after the Tigers won the World Series — when fires on “Devil’s...

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Chicago tied for the third-lowest rate of entrepreneurship among major US cities

By Benjamin VanMetre
08/12/2013
As the Detroit bankruptcy unfolds, the attention has started to shift to other big cities such as Chicago. Detroit and Chicago differ in countless ways, but regardless of the disparities, one unfortunate characteristic is shared by both: they’ve been successful in scaring away entrepreneurs. Between 2010 and 2012, Detroit was tied with Philadelphia for dead...

Detroit: Then and now

08/09/2013
Back in the late 1980s I lived in northwest Detroit (at Seven Mile and Lahser) and worked downtown. I remember a t-shirt slogan that was very popular at the time: “I’m so bad I vacation in Detroit.” It was fitting. The few tourists who visited downtown saw a rundown commercial district with few shops or...

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Mother-daughter duo steals more than $530,000 from bankrupt Detroit Public Schools

By Hilary Gowins
08/08/2013
Detroit is already in a severe economic crisis, with more than $18 billion in total debt. But it turns out that the city has lost even more funds – more than $530,000 – due to government worker fraud. According to a press release from U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade: Sandra Campbell, 57, a former Detroit Public Schools contract accountant...

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Illinois taxpayer contributions to state pensions skyrocket

By John Klingner
07/29/2013
Detroit’s recent bankruptcy is sending cities and states a warning: taxpayers shouldn’t be taken for granted. Unfortunately, Illinois’ long-term pension plan does exactly that. Springfield still believes that taxpayers are passive sources of revenue. While state worker contributions to Illinois’ five pension systems have gone up by 75 percent since 1998, taxpayer contributions have gone...

Detroit’s tipping point is a warning for Chicago

07/26/2013
by Paul Kersey How did Detroit get to be the urban disaster area it is today? One tipping point come in 1978, when a union got a “win” that cost the city, and eventually its own members, dearly. This “win” came in the form of a raise concession granted to a powerful police union, which...

CPS four notches above junk bond status

By Ted Dabrowski
07/26/2013
In what’s become a torrent of bad news regarding Illinois’ fiscal health, Moody’s Investors Service has downgraded Chicago Public Schools’ $6.3 billion general obligation debt one notch. The credit rating agency’s outlook remains negative, and CPS debt is now just four levels above junk bond status. The CPS ranking drop to A3 from A2 follows recent downgrades...

CTU recommendations for new revenue mirror Detroit’s failed policies

07/24/2013
When Chicago Public Schools laid off more than 2,000 employees – including 1,036 teachers – last week, Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis skewered Mayor Rahm Emanuel for not supporting tax-increasing policies that she claims would bring additional revenue to the city. She said: “It is equally shameful that as CPS slashes school budgets, they have not offered one...
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What is the Education Freedom Tax Credit and how can it benefit Illinois students?

The Education Freedom Tax Credit, also known as the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit, will give Illinois students access to donor money if the state opts into the program.

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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