Nearly 23,000 educators and other public school employees have chosen not to affiliate with their unions. You’re not alone if you choose to opt-out this August.
Illinoisans pay the nation’s second-highest gas taxes behind California thanks to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s automatic gas tax hikes. Illinois motorists faced two hikes in 2023.
This edition of The Policy Shop is brought to you by Policy Analyst Hannah Schmid. Chicago Public Schools math and reading scores are some of the worst in the country. But there’s a little-known subset of schools that are suffering more than others. Empty, failing, forgotten. It’s hard to believe, but Chicago Public Schools is home...
Illinois’ largest public employee union, AFSCME Council 31, finalized their second contract with Gov. J.B. Pritzker July 25. New pay raises will cost taxpayers $625 million.
While most Cook County residents have seen property taxes rise, the suburbs saw the biggest hikes during the past 20 years. Chicago homeowners and business owners are feeling less tax pain than their suburban peers.
Chicago’s residential property taxes between 2020 and 2021 were pretty volatile. Don’t be happy about a big drop, though, because it might mean your home isn’t worth as much.
Despite statewide job gains in June, eight of Illinois’ metro areas lost jobs for the month. Most areas still haven’t recovered to pre-pandemic job levels.
Iowa, Missouri, Ohio and Tennessee are all having back-to-school sales tax holidays. Not Illinois, where state leaders saw the need during the 2022 election.
This edition of The Policy Shop is brought to you by Director of Fiscal and Economic Research Bryce Hill. Three years ago, Illinois state lawmakers wrote to Washington, D.C., asking for a favor. Nothing major. Just $40 billion. A cool $10 billion to bail out state and local public pensions, plus extra to prop up...
Illinois dispensaries sold $136 million in marijuana during June, the highest of the year and third-best month ever for cannabis sales.
Since 2010, teachers unions have funneled nearly $20 million to current lawmakers in the Illinois General Assembly, with the Chicago Teachers Union alone spending over $1.25 million.
Chicago Public Schools has a school utilization problem. Over 34% are less than half full, 57% are underutilized, and 5% are overcrowded. Just 35% are at ideal capacity. The Chicago Teachers Union is preventing solutions.