The typical career state pensioner earns more in retirement than Illinoisans do working. Households now pay over three times more than they did nearly two decades ago to cover the costs.
A late Friday-night move would add nearly $12,000 to the salary of each state lawmaker, raise salaries for statewide elected leaders such as the governor, and boost salaries for agency directors and their subordinates. Plus, they get cost-of-living increases.
Chicago Public Schools’ top watchdog reported 470 sexual allegations from students against employees.
A scholarship program that has helped more than 9,000 low-income students choose to attend private schools will expire at the end of 2023 unless lawmakers expand the Invest in Kids Act.
The Chicago Teachers Union and other teachers’ unions oppose Invest in Kids, a tax-credit scholarship program that allows underprivileged children to attend private schools of their choice. Why would teachers advocate against a program that helps low-income students? Mailee Smith, staff attorney and director of labor policy at Illinois Policy Institute, refutes opponents’ false claims...
The Illinois Supreme Court stayed a provision of the SAFE-T Act set to take effect Jan. 1 that would have eliminated cash bail statewide after a county judge ruled it would violate the state constitution. The high court said it planned an “expedited” review.
Illinois lawmakers and Gov. J.B. Pritzker reached a deal to pay off $1.8 billion borrowed from the federal government for unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s a positive step, but the state remains ill-prepared for the next economic shock.
Spring test data shows demographic achievement gaps persist in Chicago Public Schools, yet the Chicago Teachers Union wants to eliminate a scholarship program giving low-income students a way out of the underperforming public school system.