Joshua Bandoch
The city took in big tax revenues from federal COVID-19 bailouts, but Chicago’s pension shortfall still grew by $10 billion over the last five years. The warnings about a pension crisis will get worse as the COVID money runs dry.
The state needs to fix its “skills gap” problem, in part by prioritizing skills-based training and apprentice programs that don’t require a college degree.
In some grades at certain schools, an analysis by the Illinois Policy Institute found that not a single student meets grade-level standards. The board also needs to take a hard look at finances and building utilization.