TRAPPED IN A FAILING SYSTEM

August 19, 2025•5 min read

Illinois’ Children or Illinois’ Party?

From Chicago to small towns, students face collapsing scores and chronic absenteeism while politicians funnel billions into unions and sanctuary spending. The state must choose who it serves.

By Mike Monseur – August 19, 2025

The first day of school should be a promise — a new year, a fresh start, a chance for every child to learn and thrive. But in Illinois, that promise has been broken. Test scores are collapsing, absenteeism is exploding, and families are fleeing, even as spending reaches record highs. Behind the numbers lies a painful truth: state leaders and teachers’ unions have chosen politics over children, and a generation is paying the price.

A Report Card That Shames a City

The Illinois State Board of Education’s latest numbers are devastating:

30.5% of 3rd–8th graders can read at grade level
18.3% are proficient in math
Among high school juniors, SAT results show 22.4% in reading and 18.6% in math

“Fewer than one in three students can read at grade level. That should shame every leader in Illinois,” one CPS teacher said.

For minority and low-income students, the collapse is brutal:

9.3% of Black students in grades 3–8 met math proficiency
23% of low-income students reached reading proficiency
25.5% of Hispanic students hit reading benchmarks

That’s not a gap. That’s abandonment.

Enrollment: The Exodus No One Wants to Admit

CPS reported 325,305 students enrolled for the 2024–2025 school year — a slight uptick after years of decline. But that “growth” isn’t being driven by returning families. It’s padded by migrant children, folded into CPS through Illinois’ sanctuary-state policies.

Since 2014, CPS has lost 71,000 students — an 18% decline. Families with means are leaving for the suburbs or private schools. Those without are stuck in a system crumbling under the weight of politics.

“Families who’ve lived here for generations are being told to wait in line while newcomers are pushed to the front,” one parent said.

Governor JB Pritzker has poured billions into migrant housing, healthcare, and education subsidies, while native-born children face overcrowded classrooms and vanishing resources.

Absenteeism: Students Voting With Their Feet

In 2024, chronic absenteeism in CPS hit crisis levels:

40.8% of all students were chronically absent
46.2% of Black students missed at least 10% of the year
42.5% of Hispanic students were chronically absent
44.9% of low-income students fell into the same category

“When half of an entire demographic is absent, that’s not disinterest — it’s a collapse of trust,” a principal explained.

This is more than skipping class. It’s children voting with their feet, abandoning a system that has already abandoned them.

Budgets Boom, Results Bust

While enrollment shrinks, spending explodes:

2015–2016 budget: $4.8 billion
2024–2025 budget: $7.9 billion
Per-student spending: Over $20,000 annually

Yet test scores flatline, absenteeism soars, and CPS faces a $734 million deficit.

“Parents and taxpayers are rightly asking, where is all this money going if performance isn’t improving?” said one education advocate.

The answer is clear: to bureaucracy, union perks, and sanctuary programs — not classrooms.

The Union Factor: When Adults Win, Children Lose

No one exerts more influence over Illinois education than the teachers’ unions. And their priorities have consistently harmed students.

Union Walkouts: Strikes have repeatedly shut down schools, leaving children behind while demands centered on pay and pensions.
Pandemic Closures: Unions fought to keep schools closed long after other states reopened, worsening learning loss.
Political Spending: Millions in dues flow into Democratic campaigns, buying loyalty in Springfield and City Hall.
Blocking Reform: School choice, charters, and accountability measures are consistently torpedoed by union lobbying.

“The teachers’ union fights harder for politics than for our kids,” one frustrated parent said.

The result? Adults win. Children lose.

The Cost to Taxpayers: Children vs. Party

Illinois spent over $1 billion in 2023 on migrant services — housing, healthcare, and education — even as CPS struggled with deficits. Citizens pay more, their kids get less, and Springfield celebrates “compassion.”

“Illinois has been forced to choose between its children and its party. And too often, it chooses the party,” said another parent advocate.

Every dollar funneled into sanctuary programs and union politics is a dollar stolen from classrooms in Englewood, East St. Louis, or Rockford.

Not Just Chicago’s Problem

This isn’t just a CPS crisis. Across Illinois, proficiency rates are collapsing:

35% of student's statewide meet grade-level standards in English
27% statewide meet math standards

Rural districts face teacher shortages, suburban districts battle absenteeism, and downstate schools struggle with the same bureaucratic bloat.

The failure isn’t confined to Chicago. It’s systemic — the result of a one-party machine that values union loyalty and sanctuary policies over accountability and reform.

Historical Decline: A Party Track Record of Failure

From Daley’s “Renaissance 2010” to Emanuel’s charters, from Lightfoot’s pandemic closures to Johnson’s union-backed agenda, CPS has lurched from one failed experiment to another. Each promised transformation. Each delivered collapse.

And it isn’t just mayors. For decades, the state has been controlled by the same party, promising “equity” while delivering failure.

Crime is rising
Taxes are crushing
Pensions are broken
Schools are collapsing

The pattern is unmistakable.

Five Reforms That Could Save CPS

Cut sanctuary spending – Stop diverting billions from citizens’ children
Shrink bureaucracy, fund classrooms – More teachers, fewer administrators
Enforce attendance – Tie funding to participation gains
Expand school choice – Vouchers and charters to empower parents
Union accountability – Limit political spending from teacher dues and put students first

The Choice Ahead: Reform or Ruin

Parents now face a decision sharper than ever: accept another year of excuses, or demand change.

“It’s not just about getting students back in the building. We need to ensure every child has the support to succeed – in attendance, proficiency, and beyond,” said one parent leader.

But that will never happen until Illinois breaks free of a machine that places politics above children.

The bell has already rung. Illinois must now decide: Will it choose its children — or once again, its party?

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