By Daniel VeseckyThe Chicago Public Schools (CPS, or the ‘District’) is lacking the cash that it needs to meet operating costs. The crunch has become so bad that CPS’ finance team has voiced concerns about an inability to make payroll in…
By Daniel VeseckyNote: On June 28, 2026, CPS revised its proposed FY2027 budget. The revised budget eliminated the planned five furlough days and paid for this change by adding an additional $85 million in assumed TIF surplus, bringing the…
RESERVE YOUR SPOTCo-Hosted by Civic Federation and Kids First ChicagoAs Chicago Public Schools works to finalize its FY2027 budget, difficult…
by Daniel Vesecky Click here to read the Full Report…
by Roland Calia and Daniel Vesecky Click here to read the full report …
by Daniel Vesecky Click here to read an executive summary of the report Charter schools are publicly funded, privately…
by Christopher Berry, Roland Calia, Eric Langowski, and Annie McGowanClick here to read the full report…
The Civic Federation’s Local Pension Dashboard is intended for use as a resource and educational tool to increase the accessibility of local pension fund data. The dashboard reports metrics for the ten major local pension funds within the…
Click to read the full report.EXECUTIVE SUMMARYOn August 28th, 2025, Chicago Public Schools (CPS, or the “District”) passed a…
by Daniel VeseckyTax Increment Financing (TIF) Districts are a complex, often misunderstood part of Chicago’s tax structure. TIF Districts segment and dedicate a portion of property tax collections within a designated geographic area to…
