Education

Early estimates show the new tax scholarship program, while limited, could cost the state two to five times more a student than what it now spends on general aid for the state’s public schools students.

Fourteen-year-old Rosario Gomez didn’t know how to swim, wasn’t wearing a lifejacket and had significant problems communicating. His drowning in a high school pool last winter fuels doubts about Chicago Public Schools’ ability to care for its special needs students.

By design, Illinois places an outsized reliance on revenue from local property taxes to fund schools. That has led to dramatic increases in property taxes across the state while also creating a worst in the nation gap in funding between rich and poor districts.

Parents, teachers and disability rights advocates say new oversight protocols keep kids from getting services they need, while BGA analysis raises questions about Chicago Public Schools’ claims that minority students are over-identified for special ed.

More than $10 million owed to the city teachers’ retirement fund is paid late, triggering at least $1.8 million in fines.

Even though a majority of public school educators are women, few graduate to the top positions.

Just as one dispute involving overpayments is settled, another one begins.

The Chicago Teachers’ Pension Fund miscalculated retirement benefits and overpaid retirees by $2.78 million. Now pensioners are asked to pay the money back.

South suburban school board member votes on six-figure payout for his wife, an administrator in the system which is now trying to recoup the money.