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.
“Althea McCaskill has been a bus aide with Chicago Public Schools for 10 years and makes about $16,000 a year…she is paid for four hours.” According to the CPS-SEIU contract, a bus aide makes $19.80/hr, or $80/day. I get that there’s not much time during the middle of the day to work another job, but that’s why CPS pays a premium of nearly $20/hr. How much do we have to pay people to work a few hours a day with extended summer and holiday breaks? Should someone only working 4 hours per day be expected to be the breadwinner of… Read more »