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School Board President Sean Harden said that the board members attended on their own, without the direction of the mayor, to “observe and be part of the support” for CPS.
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Audio and summary Illinois bill would override local law to allow homeless living in all public parks – Wirepoints
April 14, 2026
27 Comments
If this bill passes, say goodbye to local control over all Illinois parks and expect to see open drug and alcohol use, needles, no sanitation and fire hazards, but no ordinary park users.
Mark Glennon on AM560’s Morning Answer: Chicago Fiscal Crisis Worse Than Pre-Bankruptcy Detroit, HIV Surge and Public Health Threat From Open Borders Goes Unreported
April 10, 2026
2 Comments
Summary and audio linked here.
Mark Glennon on AM560’s Morning Answer: Chicago pension buyout plan mostly shifts debt rather than eliminating it, property tax surge doubles inflation over three decades
April 3, 2026
9 Comments
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.
WBEZ and Chicago Sun-Times falsely blame Texas Gov. Abbott for 2020 to 2024 surge in Chicago Latino HIV, AIDS infections – Wirepoints Quickpoint
March 31, 2026
11 Comments
Expect no retraction or apology. This what they do.
Let’s get this contract done. We have already lowered our demands for a pay raise down to 6%. Get us the additional staff we need and additional prep time and get it done. We will demand and get a fair contract.
“Today, CPS is perhaps the best funded big city school district in the nation, boasting the highest paid teachers and one of lowest staff-to-student ratios among large districts. Since 2019, per-pupil funding has increased 43 percent despite a 9 percent drop in enrollment. During the same period, the district added over 9,000 new staff and today has one full-time staff for every 7.6 students.” You do not need additional staff or prep time. There is no revenue problem. As the Chicago Contrarian article states the problem is spending. Closing schools with less than 50% capacity will save millions of dollars… Read more »
My brothers and sisters in the CTU believe that we do need more staff and more planning time. We don’t care about Contrarian articles that have no idea what our teachers and paraprofessionals need. More revenue will be needed because we demand a fair contract. You’ll be happier once you accept this reality.
Since 2019 the district added 9,000 new staff. Per-pupil funding has increased 43%. You have the additional staff, you have lots of money being thrown into the pot, and you still can’t seem to teach a third grader how to read or do basic math. And that is the sad reality for Chicago.
6%???, Pfft!!!
the union should get NOTHING. In fact, reductions should be on the table. Declining enrollment; increasing expenses; pathetic student achievement. Come back when you can show some improvement.
CTU needs to be stopped. The do not care about the students in Chicago. The one care about themselves and the reading and math scores prove this.
Such political whores all of them.
Here is the article from the Trib. Check out one commenter who posted the video of Spanky from Our Gang throwing money out the window. Says it all.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/boss-chicago-school-board-members-230100314.html
in Crains article from 3 days ago— stating unbelievably new CPS CEO Sean Harden was interviewed by boss Stacy prior to getting the OK to replace Martinez:
(https://www.chicagobusiness.com/education/johnson-eyes-naming-co-ceo-cps-sidestep-pedro-martinez)