Senate President John Cullerton set to collect $2M pension

By Austin Berg

11/27/2019

Due to a pension sweetener available only to veteran Illinois lawmakers, Cullerton’s annual pension will soon be more than he ever made from his Statehouse salary.

TAGS: Chicago, Emil Jones, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois, Illinois Senate, John Cullerton, Mike Madigan, SERS: State Employee Retirement System, Springfield, tax hikes, teacher salaries, TRS: Teachers’ Retirement System

All Illinois taxpayers on the hook for CTU’s 244-sick-day pension sweetener

By Vincent Caruso

11/14/2019

A provision included in the bargaining agreement reached between Chicago and its teachers union will allow teachers to trade up to 244 unused sick days for pension credits – billable to all Illinois taxpayers.

TAGS: CPS: Chicago Public Schools, CTU: Chicago Teachers Union, municipal pensions, pension guarantee, pensions, teacher salaries

CTU is out on strike: 6 things you need to know

By Mailee Smith

10/21/2019

The Chicago Teachers Union went on strike despite an offer that would boost average pay to nearly $100,000. Here’s who is getting hurt and the true costs of the strike.

TAGS: Chicago, CPS: Chicago Public Schools, CTU: Chicago Teachers Union, Lori Lightfoot, municipal pensions, pension guarantee, pensions, property taxes, strike, taxes, teacher salaries

Chicago Teachers Union president threatens strike

07/22/2019

The Chicago Teachers Union is threatening to strike, as negotiations with the city begin to stretch into the coming school year. It would be the union’s third strike in seven years.

TAGS: Chicago, CPS: Chicago Public Schools, CTU: Chicago Teachers Union, Jesse Sharkey, Lori Lightfoot, municipal pensions, pension guarantee, pensions, teacher salaries

Geneva teachers union strike leaves 5,800 students in the lurch

By Janelle Cammenga

12/05/2018

Six years after last threatening to strike, the teachers union walked the picket line – a collective bargaining tactic not allowed in any of Illinois’ neighboring states.

TAGS: education, IEA-NEA: Illinois Education Association, pensions, strike, teacher salaries

Rauner vetoes bill mandating $40,000 minimum salary for teachers statewide

By Eddie Damstra

08/27/2018

Dictating teachers’ salaries from Springfield would impose a costly mandate on local school districts and expose struggling homeowners across the state to property tax hikes.

TAGS: Bruce Rauner, salaries, school district consolidation, teacher salaries

Amid cuts to school band program, Norridge-area taxpayers fund 59 district employees making over $100K

By Vincent Caruso

07/18/2018

Duplicative school districts and an excess of publicly funded six-figure salaries have educated Norridge-Harwood Heights taxpayers on the benefits of consolidation.

TAGS: Norridge-Harwood Heights, property taxes, salaries, teacher salaries

Restrictions on pension spiking a win for Illinois taxpayers

06/06/2018

Illinois’ fiscal year 2019 spending plan includes reforms to discourage some irresponsible spending by local governments.

TAGS: municipal pensions, pensions, teacher salaries, TRS: Teachers’ Retirement System

Belleville school districts are ripe for consolidation

By Vincent Caruso

06/01/2018

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.

TAGS: Belleville, Belleville School District 118, Belleville Township School District 201, consolidation, salaries, school district consolidation, St. Clair County, teacher salaries

More than 230 Belleville school district employees earn more than $100K

By Vincent Caruso

05/30/2018

Many school district employees’ earnings are more than double that of the typical Belleville household.

TAGS: Belleville, Belleville Township School District 201, consolidation, local government consolidation, Metro East, municipal pensions, pensions, salaries, school district consolidation, St. Clair County, teacher salaries

Unlocking Opportunity: How Occupational Licensing Reform Would Promote Equitable Empowerment in Illinois

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...

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Unlocking Opportunity: How Occupational Licensing Reform Would Promote Equitable Empowerment in Illinois

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Brandi Lentz

Process for unionizing non-state workers raises red flags

CBS Chicago: Illinois’ highest-paid superintendent receives $400K per year to oversee 1,200 students