Duplicative school districts and an excess of publicly funded six-figure salaries have educated Norridge-Harwood Heights taxpayers on the benefits of consolidation.

While Quad Cities geography connects East Moline and the Iowa cities of Davenport and Bettendorf, Illinois’ abundance of school districts means their administrative environments are worlds apart. By consolidating duplicative administrative bodies, East Moline could generate taxpayer savings.

In 2017 alone, Lake County billed homeowners $1.8 billion in property taxes. Owners of a median-valued home in Lake Forest received a $13,600 property tax bill.

One Crystal Lake school district superintendent has become the latest public official to collect a salary nearing $200,000, following a vote by the district board.

Sangamon County billed homeowners $215 million in 2017. This meant owners of a $127,000 Springfield home had a $2,600 property tax bill.

Even after a 32 percent income tax hike, the Illinois General Assembly passed a state budget in 2017 that will generate an estimated $1.5 billion deficit in fiscal year 2018. That deficit is projected to grow to $2.15 billion in fiscal year 2019, according to the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget, or GOMB. The...

Illinois’ school district debt and unfair government union bargaining laws contribute to the state’s massive property taxes.

Despite objections from faculty, one university chancellor is pressing for a campus restructuring that includes curbing the tuition-heightening costs of administrative bloat.