"I think that would be a great feature if they’re able to expand the current Invest in Kids scholarships to cover pre-kindergarten. A lot of the Catholic schools or private schools start at pre-K. So giving them the opportunity to start at pre-K versus [kindergarten] allows kids to build those relationships and get used to everything sooner."
The nation recovered 85% of the jobs lost to the COVID-19 downturn, but only one metro area in Illinois beat the U.S. average. The Chicago area only recovered 64% of its jobs. Bloomington was one of just 11 U.S. areas to lose jobs last year.
The unconventional learning formats caused by the COVID-19 pandemic are taking a toll on Illinois students. There is a solution.
Frustrated with COVID-19 disruptions and remote learning, more Illinois parents are pursing non-public school options.
Roughly half of the low-income students benefitting from Illinois’ tax credit scholarships are minorities, and about 26,000 students are waiting for a chance at a private school that better fits their needs. State lawmakers are working on a permanent fix.
Soaring inflation. Slow job creation. Lagging GDP from record population loss. Illinois’ economy is facing several unique factors all at once. Orphe Divounguy joins the Policy Shop to break down the current state of Illinois’ economy and how Illinois becomes a place where businesses, job seekers and homeowners want to invest.
Gov. J.B Pritzker is appealing a state court ruling striking down Illinois’ mask mandate in schools. His appeal and his 24th emergency declaration come as California and Connecticut join a growing list of states loosening their restrictions.
Fiscal watchdog Truth in Accounting again gave an ‘F’ grade to Chicago, thanks to high debt driven by unsustainable pension costs. Fixing the problem will take amending the Illinois Constitution.
Illinois is one of the few states that taxes groceries. Gov. J.B. Pritzker is suggesting a suspension of the 1% grocery tax to help struggling families. Some lawmakers said if Pritzker really wants to help, he needs to end grocery sales taxes.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker proposed a delay in the automatic state gas tax hikes he ushered in when he doubled the tax. The election-year temporary relief should become a permanent repeal.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he is “hopeful” Illinois could soon drop statewide pandemic protocols after COVID-19 dropped by half. His peers in Delaware, New Jersey and earlier Iowa dropped their mask mandates.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said after two years of COVID-19 mitigations and a sharp decline in rates, she believes Iowans will make the safe choices without laws forcing them. Pritzker does not share that confidence in Illinoisans.
With 251,900 jobs still missing since the pandemic began, Illinois’ job market is the least recovered among Midwestern states