As 2007 turned into 2008, it was a bright new morning in the city of Chicago—or so said Mayor Daley in a state-of-the-city op-ed that ran in the Sun-Times on January 1. “2007 was winner for city, and ’08 looks good,” the headline declared, and the essay that followed was classic Daley rhetoric, dedicated to the proposition that his leadership has enabled our city to overcome tremendous obstacles, none of which can be laid at his feet.
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The mayor went on to claim that test scores are rising in the public schools because “we’ve stayed focused on teaching the basics in the classroom.” Well, scores ought to be rising—the Chicago Public Schools instituted an easier test two years ago. And since passage of the No Child Left Behind Act in January 2002 (its anniversary was the main reason Bush was in town this week) teachers have been forced to spend weeks of valuable time prepping students on how to take it. I guess that’s what Daley means by “basics.” Forget enhancing education by hiring teachers in art, music, and drama or improving sports facilities—the money simply isn’t there.
CPS officials tell me the problem is that they need more funding from the state. But what they really need is the $500 million in property taxes diverted by tax increment financing districts at the expense of the schools and other taxing bodies. Of course, Mayor Daley made no mention of his beloved TIFs in his op-ed.
So by the time Daley was done he had two guys doing the same job that one man used to do at the Office of Emergency Management and another guy doing a job his predecessor did for almost half the money. This game of political musical chairs cost taxpayers an extra $177,000. It truly is good to be king.
Finally—inevitably—the mayor touted the 2016 Olympics as “something that could boost our city for decades to come.” If the king gets his wish, more’s the pity for his kingdom.v
