The Chicago Teachers Union is required to provide an annual audit to members under its own internal rules. It hasn’t done so for over four years. Members are suing to see what the union bosses are doing with the money.
Apprenticeships are a great alternative to a college degree, and there is high demand in Illinois. They can help the 177,000 Illinois youths who are out of work and out of school.
Chicago Public Schools’ instructional and operational spending both reached all-time highs. Did the extra money improve student learning? Nope.
Chicago led Illinois for mass layoffs in September after Amazon announced it was closing its Goose Island fulfillment center.
Chicago Public Schools enrollment dropped 80,900 from the 2011-2012 school year to 2023-2024. But staffing increased by over 2,500 and costs rose $3.5 billion.
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.
Chicago Public Schools instructional and operational spending reached all-time highs while academic outcomes stagnate.
Not even 20% of CTU’s spending went to representing its members during its 2023-2024 fiscal year, according to its own federal reporting.
Staffing in Chicago Public Schools increased 20% as the number of students dropped 10.5%. Employee growth has not included regular classroom teachers.
Nearly 2 million Illinoisans – or nearly 1 in 6 – received Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits in June 2024. The number of Illinoisans needing federal help with groceries was the highest since September 2023.
Chicago Public Schools Board of Education candidates have varying positions on school choice, according to a Chicago Sun-Times and Chalkbeat Chicago questionnaire.
Illinois’ job market outpaced the national average during August. But 13 of Illinois’ 15 metropolitan areas continued to have higher unemployment rates than the national average.