Illinois has more units of local government than any other state in the country, many of which are duplicative and overlapping. In Belleville, where the majority of the city’s school districts cover fewer students than the state average, consolidation efforts could boost efficiency while saving taxpayer dollars.
Illinois finds itself at a crossroads: will it empower minorities and poor people to unleash their potential, or will it perpetuate an inequitable status quo? For far too many Illinoisans, opportunity is unfairly and unnecessarily out of reach. Illinois ranks in the bottom ten among all states in social mobility and last among Midwest states...