-- Connecting the dots between our economy, government and business --
Summary and audio linked here.
Chicago’s political leadership is floating a pension buyout program as evidence it is seriously addressing the city’s thirty-six-billion-dollar unfunded pension liability, but Mark Glennon, founder of the Illinois policy research organization Wirepoints, said that the proposal moves debt from one column to another rather than reducing it, and that the broader fiscal picture facing the city continues to deteriorate across every measurable dimension. Audio here.
Expect no retraction or apology. This what they do.
The state’s existing buyout program for its own pensions is the precedent for Chicago, which should be a warning: Look out for similar exaggerated claims and shoddy analysis.
Full interview and summary linked here.
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Enrollment, attendance, performance and staffing charts published right here at Wirepoints show the Chicago Public Schools to be a complete failure. The High Schools have been abandoned by all but the very poorest of parents. It is well past time to fold the tent and issue vouchers.
There are at least two BIG problems that CPS has to confront to a greater degree than most school systems: a much higher percentage of non-English speaking and poor English-speaking students as well as a drastically higher rate of truancy. How can most any common public school in this country be successful academically in the usual meaning when confronted with those two huge ever-present obstacles?
If politicians and parents allow this policy to pass, they’re essentially ceding parental responsibility to the state, undermining the critical role parents play in their children’s lives. Chicago Public Schools (CPS) has lost sight of its primary mission: educating students to become contributing members of society. Instead of addressing academic failures, where test scores show dismal performance, they’re pushing teachers—who are trained to teach, not trained in child psychology—into roles they are unqualified for. This cannot be tolerated. Both parents and political leaders have an obligation to step in and stop these misguided policies. The Chicago Teachers Union’s push for… Read more »
This policy takes away the rights of parents and families. Should be illegal the teachers can decide is instead of parents.