Inside Chicago Government

Latest Episodes:

7/21/11: "Public schools, private budgets" Dec 23, 2012

Show notes

The disparity in availability of charter vs. neighborhood school financial data; why CPS finally put payroll information on-line; and the downside of Freedom of Information Act requests. Length 8.5 minutes.

8/4/11: "Mayor Emanuel Does the TIF Reform Dance" Aug 11, 2011

Show notes

Removing services for the poor as a gentrifying force; why TIF district creators exclude gentrifying areas; and getting beyond the fiction that TIF doesn't divert revenues from Chicagoland's taxing bodies. Length 10 minutes.

7/28/11: "Blogger Crusades Against Education 'Reformers'" Aug 04, 2011

Show notes

Whether teachers' 75 percent minimum membership requirement for a strike vote hobbles their union; holding students accountable for their poor performance; and teacher accountability as a bandage on society's economic disparities. Length 8.5 minutes.

7/14/11: "Mayoral Progress Report: There's Room for Improvement" Jul 18, 2011

Show notes

Whether voters want a strong mayor--for other people; summer as a voter aphrodisiac; and the mayor as an expert in spectacle. Length 6.7 minutes.

7/7/11: "The Grass Gap" Jul 08, 2011

Show notes

The double standard that marijuana laws reinforce; making the police superintendent sound smart; and the clever composition ability of police officers. Length 5.5 minutes.

6/30/11: "How a CPS Teacher Went from 'Excellent' to 'Do-Not-Hire' in One Year" Jul 01, 2011

Show notes

What lies behind the motive to get rid of teachers; how Chicago can recruit better teachers in the face of "do not hire" designations and pay cuts; and how the free market encourages teachers to leave Chicago. Length 9.5 minutes.

6/16/11: "Uptown Turns Down a TIF Deal--For the Moment" Jun 17, 2011

Show notes

The difference between a tax-increment financing district's budget and the amount of tax dollars it diverts; whether the park district could more easily implement a capital project via regular budgeting or tax-increment financing; and the last major elected official to call a corporation's relocation bluff. Length 9.3 minutes.

6/9/11: "As Daley Cashes In, Ousted Teacher Gets Cut Off" Jun 10, 2011

Show notes

How Chicago Public Schools handle the re-applications of teachers in turnaround schools; the link between turnaround schools and cutting well-paid teachers; and expulsion: a teaching tool, or a convenient way to boost performance scores? Length 9.7 minutes.

6/2/11: "Charter School Fights Teacher Organizing-and 'Public School' Label" Jun 04, 2011

Show notes

How public school students get into particular high schools; why the state's board didn't enforce the law; and the effect on union organizing of federal versus state jurisdiction. Length 6.5 minutes.

5/26/11: "The 20 Months That Made Mayor Emanuel" May 28, 2011

Show notes

What didn't make it into the timeline; the evidence for the manipulation of Carol Moseley Braun; and the list of candidates who might've beat Mayor Daley. Length 6.7 minutes.

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