The ringleaders of Illinois’ partisan impasse – Gov. Bruce Rauner and House Speaker Michael Madigan – met Thursday morning for the first time since before Christmas.

“This could be a critical week for the future of our schools,” CPS CEO Forrest Claypool said Wednesday at a Chicago Board of Education meeting. “Ending school early would be a tragedy for Chicago students.”

Gov. Bruce Rauner sits down with Chicago Tonight correspondent Amanda Vinicky to discuss his agenda for public schools, the state budget crisis and why he drops the “g” when he speaks.

Chicago families will have to wait a little longer to find out when the school year will end for Chicago Public Schools.

Chicago Tonight has learned that the city is looking at contingency plans to prevent an early closing of schools.

When will Chicago Public Schools hold its last day of class? There could be clarity next week, when a Cook County judge rules on a pair of motions in the district’s ongoing suit against Gov. Bruce Rauner.

Facing an ongoing lawsuit brought by Chicago Public Schools and increasing calls to restore vetoed funding to the cash-strapped school district, Gov. Bruce Rauner is urging “swift action” to enact statewide pension reform in a new Republican-led bill.

Local School Council members from across Chicago hand-delivered a letter to Gov. Bruce Rauner this week, urging “immediate action” from the state.

Chicago Teachers Union delegates are taking this month to discuss the possible May 1 strike with the union’s rank-and-file members before a vote on the action, scheduled for April 5.

Under pressure to send Chicago Public Schools cash following a social media lashing from Chance the Rapper, Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration is intensifying pressure on Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Democrats to act.

The latest draft of what will become Illinois' new public education policy plan cleared its first major hurdle Wednesday, earning unanimous support from state education leaders.

Days after giving $1 million to Chicago Public Schools to support arts and enrichment programming, the Chicago-born rapper named 10 individual schools that would each receive a separate gift from his nonprofit organization, SocialWorks.

A union spokesman confirmed the union’s 800-member House of Delegates will begin discussions Wednesday over a “possible May 1 action.” No strike vote has yet been scheduled.

Following calls Monday by Chance the Rapper to “do your job,” Gov. Bruce Rauner on Tuesday said there are two viable plans to quickly get $215 million to Chicago Public Schools.

The Grammy winner announced a $1 million donation to CPS, just as Gov. Bruce Rauner’s office presented new ideas to rescue the cash-strapped district from its funding wreckage.

A report released this week by the Chicago Urban League shows minority students in the state are still as likely to attend a racially segregated school today as they would have been 60 years ago.