Voters have chosen the first 10 members of their elected Chicago Public Schools board. Amid a chaotic fall, here are answers to some common questions about what’s next for public education in Chicago.
Chicago Teachers Union allies were losing most Chicago School Board elections. CTU spent more than $1 million on its candidates, but voters made it clear they are tired of paying more to get less from city schools.
The “millionaire tax” was being OK’d by Illinois voters, with 60.3% voting “yes” on the advisory question about raising taxes on residents earning over $1 million a year to fund property tax relief. The problem is, millionaires would not be the only tax targets.
Barrington Township became the first local government in Illinois to back changing the Illinois Constitution so public pensions can be brought under control. While essentially an opinion poll, the overwhelming approval shows elected leaders must address this issue.
By 1980, financial mismanagement led Chicago Public Schools to lose its ability to borrow money, to miss multiple payrolls and vendor payments, and to drop deep into debt. The state stepped in with a financial oversight authority. It’s time to do that again.
No Election Day noise. Just results for the issues close to home for Illinois' and Chicago's freedom-minded voters.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s 2025 budget proposes a nearly $1 billion deficit. High personnel and pension costs have Johnson breaking his campaign promise not to hike property taxes. Plus there’s no plan for long-term fixes.
Nearly 2 million Illinoisans – or more than 1-in-7 – received Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits in July 2024. One-quarter of county offices reported more than 1-in-5 residents received food help.
Chicago Public Schools third- through eighth-grade state test scores increased in 2024, with reading finally surpassing 2019 levels. But for Chicago’s 11th grade students, both reading and math remained below pre-pandemic levels.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is banking on $300 million in new property taxes from residents in his latest budget. He and his former coworkers at the Chicago Teachers Union want a progressive state income tax to deliver more money to them, not to property tax relief.
“Part of the idea is to have people in many different professions who are knowledgeable about the principles of entrepreneurship and liberty."