Number of half-empty Chicago public schools doubles, yet lawmakers want to extend school closing moratorium – Wirepoints
April 19, 2024
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A set of state lawmakers want to extend CPS’ current school closing moratorium to February 1, 2027 – the same year CPS is set to transition to a fully-elected school board. That means schools like Manley High School, with capacity for more than 1,000 students but enrollment of just 78, can’t be closed for anther three years. The school spends $45,000 per student, but just 2.4% of students read at grade level.
Hopefully, all media will get the message, in Illinois, too.
Ted joined Tom Miller of WJPF to talk about Illinois’ highest-in-the-nation property taxes, why lawmakers don’t want to touch the tax’s cost drivers, just how much Illinoisans’ tax burden has grown over the decades, why Gov. Pritzker failed to meet his promise to reform property taxes, and more.
Where is this money coming from? Oh, that’s right, it’s coming from the taxpayer. The union continues to think that the taxpayer has infinitely deep pockets. Chicago’s population gets smaller and smaller mostly because of ever-increasing taxes and user fees, keeping the death spiral in high gear.
Also, don’t the teachers get step increases, too? If so, the real salary progression per year would be closer to five percent, which is greater than what the vast majority of American workers get and unsustainable by the taxpayer.
You’re right. Step increases are can be as much as 4%, although the steps cap out at some point.
The media doesn’t know how to report pay increases, reporting only COLA and not the step increase. It makes it seem like the teachers are barely keeping up with inflation.