The Chicago Teachers Union might be in one city, but its lobbying and other political wrangling affect residents statewide.

The Acero Schools charter network is closing seven of its 15 charter schools in the Chicago Public Schools district. Blame the Chicago Teachers Union’s history of opposition to charter schools for spurring the school closures.

The number of administrators and teachers in Illinois public schools has increased while the number of students has declined. Illinois is adding administrators faster than teachers.

The federal filings of the Illinois Federation of Teachers and its national affiliate, the American Federation of Teachers, reveal questionable spending, with little spent on representing teachers, millions spent on politics and deficit spending while the big boss got $500K.