Number of half-empty Chicago public schools doubles, yet lawmakers want to extend school closing moratorium – Wirepoints
April 19, 2024
2 Comments
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.
Rahm is getting pushback, so God help us all if the proposal for a city income tax goes anywhere. I think fears of a taxpayer revolt are overblown, because when all we get are party approved bootlickers how can there be change? (You can substitute any word you like for boot BTW.)
Bob – Chicago is a home rule municipality and, therefore, prohibited by law from collecting any taxes based on income. They would need the Legislature to change the law to do this. No doubt they’d prefer to limit this to commuters so none of their voters would have to pay. If that ever happened, I’d expect a dollar for dollar reduction in state funding for CPS that is redistributed to commuter school districts.
I know, and given the type of people we have in Springfield I would not be surprised if they OK it.