Chicago Public Schools

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Funding Cliffs in Municipal Budgets

The Civic Federation often voices concerns when governments use one-time or nonrecurring revenue sources for ongoing expenses. There are a number of reasons this can be problematic. By definition such revenue sources will not be…

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Future Effects of P.A. 96-0889 on CPS Pension System

On Monday the Civic Federation released its analysis of the Chicago Public Schools FY2011 proposed budget.…

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Chicago Public Schools FY2011 Budget: Analysis and Recommendations

The Civic Federation supports the Chicago Public Schools proposed $6.5 billion budget for FY2011, which is a reduction of 5.9% or $402.3 million from the proposed FY2010 budget. The proposed budget offers a short-term solution to the…

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Is TIF the Solution to the Chicago Public Schools’ Budget Crisis?

  On June 15, 2010 the Chicago Board of Education approved measures to cope with the school district’s…

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Civic Federation Position Statement on School Vouchers

Civic Federation Position Statement on School Vouchers June 17, 2010 The Civic Federation supports the use of vouchers to provide students in low-performing public schools with the opportunity to attend private schools. We view charter…

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School Finance Authority: From Creation to Dissolution

The Chicago School Finance Authority (SFA) is scheduled to be officially dissolved on June 1, 2010. The SFA is a separate unit of government created in 1980 by the Illinois General Assembly and charged with “promoting the financial…

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Local Pension Investment Returns—Is the Risk Worth the Reward?

All ten Chicago-area local government pension funds analyzed annually by the Civic Federation had negative investment returns in fiscal year 2008 for a total investment…

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Local Pension Unfunded Liabilities Hit $18.5 Billion

The total unfunded liabilities of the ten major Chicago-area public pension funds reached $18.5 billion in fiscal year 2008. That is an increase…

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How Healthy are Chicago-area Public Pension Funds? A Look at Funded Ratios

As reported in the Civic Federation’s latest report on ten local government pension funds, the most recent audited financial statements of the…

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Status of Local Pension Funding Fiscal Year 2008: An Evaluation of Ten Local Government Employee Pension Funds in Cook County

This report analyzes basic financial data on ten major local government employee pension funds in Cook County. It is intended to provide lawmakers, pension trustees, pension fund members and taxpayers with the information they need to…