Taxing agencies — including schools, parks, libraries and cities — sent property tax bills totaling $19.9 billion in 2025, 3.9% more than in 2024, according to a new analysis from Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas’ research team.
Hundreds of thousands of Chicago Public Schools students returned to their classrooms across the city Monday on the first day of school for the 2026-27 academic year as local officials continue pushing for more state funding to help prevent staffing layoffs.
For decades, Chicago has been the only city in Illinois with its board of education handpicked by its mayor. In the November general election, for the first time ever, all 21 seats on the board will be up for grabs, ending a reign of mayoral control that dates back to 1995 under Richard M. Daley.
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Policing
Since 2019, the Chicago Police Department has operated under a consent decree.
This federal court order requires CPD to stop routinely violating Black and Latino residents’ constitutional
rights.
It also forces the overhaul of how officers are trained, supervised and disciplined.
WTTW News dives deep into why reform is so slow and how policing in Chicago continues to evolve.
