CHICAGO — As Chicago Public Schools (CPS or the ‘District’) heads into a pivotal budget season under new leadership — and with a newly finalized, cost-increasing contract with the Chicago Teachers Union — the Civic Federation is…
This report is part of a three-part educational series on what's at stake for CPS in FY2026 and beyond. Click here to view the one-page summary…
by A.D. Quig, Olivia Olander, and Jeremy…
Dear Governor Pritzker, President Harmon, Speaker Welch, Leader Curran, and Leader McCombie:As we enter the final days of session, our collection of civic organizations is concerned about a final push for pension legislation that could…
By Lily PadulaA comparative analysis of state expenditures finds that Illinois allocates a larger portion of its operational expenditures to pension obligations than most peer states. Illinois’ annual expenditures on state-level public…
In this short report, the Civic Federation analyzes indicators of the fiscal health of the Cook County Pension Fund based on the most recent FY2023 actuarial…
Click here to read the full report.Click here to read the executive summary.…
The following are summaries of the five most-read posts presented on the Civic Federation’s blog in 2023, listed here in chronological order. The posts examine issues related to Illinois taxes and debt, Tier 2 Benefits, the SAFE-T Act…
