POWER BEFORE PUPILS

September 11, 2025•5 min read

Illinois’ Silent Crisis: Billions Spent, a Generation Left Behind

Seven out of ten Illinois third graders cannot read at grade level. While children fall further behind, teachers' unions fight for themselves.

By Staff Writer
September 11, 2025

A Boy and a Book He Cannot Read

On a humid September afternoon in Joliet, nine-year-old Mateo Ramirez sat at the kitchen table with his mother, struggling to sound out the words in a children’s book. He hesitated, fumbled letters, then gave up in frustration.

“I can’t do it,” he muttered, pushing the book aside. His mother, Maria, tried to encourage him. His father, Anthony, lowered his eyes.

Mateo is in third grade—the critical year when children are supposed to stop learning to read and start reading to learn. But like most children in Illinois, Mateo is already behind.

“My son came home from third grade unable to read a simple storybook. Now he feels like he’s already a failure.” — Anthony Ramirez, Joliet parent

The Numbers No One Can Ignore

The data is stark: seven out of ten Illinois third graders cannot read at grade level. That is not a statistic—it is a statewide alarm bell.

Illinois spends $24,000 per student per year—more than almost every state in the nation. In 2024, that added up to $45.5 billion for 2 million students. Yet despite record-setting investment, the return is failure.

“Illinois spends $24,000 per student—but seven in ten third graders can’t read.”

Education experts warn that the consequences of this failure are lifelong. “If a child isn’t reading by the end of third grade, they are far more likely to struggle in every subject going forward,” said Dr. Karen Mitchell, an education policy analyst. “Fourth grade assumes reading is a given. For too many Illinois kids, it isn’t—and that closes doors before they ever get a chance to open.”

Lessons from Mississippi

Illinois’ literacy crisis is not inevitable. Mississippi, once ranked among the nation’s worst, began a bold reform in 2013. The state mandated universal reading screenings, early interventions, parental involvement, and science-based reading instruction.

The results were dramatic. By 2019, Mississippi’s fourth-grade reading scores surged, surpassing national averages. Illinois, by contrast, clung to outdated methods and saw its children slip further behind.

“Mississippi went from one of the lowest-performing states to a national model in just a decade—without spending anywhere near what Illinois does.”

📊 Sidebar: Illinois vs. Mississippi — Spending vs. Reading Outcomes

Illinois: High Spending, Low Results

Annual Spending per Student: $24,000
Third Graders Reading at Grade Level: Only 3 in 10
Teacher Pay (Valley View): $79,497 average
Strikes: Legal, common

Mississippi: Lower Spending, Better Results

Annual Spending per Student: ~$10,000
Third Graders Reading at Grade Level: Over 4 in 10, rising
Reforms: Science-based reading, parental involvement, intervention laws

“It’s not about how much money is spent—it’s about how that money is used.”

While Children Wait, Adults Argue

As Illinois’ literacy gap widens, another crisis looms: teachers unions threatening to walk out.

In Valley View Community School District 365U—the 10th largest in Illinois—14,660 students in Romeoville and Bolingbrook could be locked out of classrooms starting Sept. 18.

The issue? Compensation.

Valley View teachers already earn $79,497 on average—above the state average of $75,978 and higher than the state’s median household income of $75,000. But their union, Valley View Council Local 604, is demanding more.

“I can’t strike at my job when my kids are hungry—why should teachers get to walk out on my children?” asked Jasmine Green, a mother in Bolingbrook.

“When unions walk out, they don’t just abandon the classroom—they abandon the children.”

The Chicago Example

The threat is familiar. The Valley View union belongs to the Illinois Federation of Teachers, the same powerhouse that oversees the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU).

In just 13 years, CTU has walked out five times—2012, 2016, 2019, 2021, and 2022—shuttering schools and leaving families scrambling with little warning.

But public patience has worn thin. A 2024 poll found 60% of Chicago voters now view CTU unfavorably, and more than half disapprove of its president, Stacy Davis Gates.

Once hailed as a champion of teachers, CTU is now seen by many as a symbol of obstruction.

A National Outlier

Illinois is one of only a handful of states that still allows teacher strikes. At least 37 states—including all of Illinois’ neighbors—ban them outright.

“Other states protect children from being used as bargaining chips. Illinois doesn’t—and our kids pay the price,” said parent advocate Linda Turner.

The message is clear: Illinois has chosen unions over children.

The Cost of Inaction

What is at stake is not just reading scores—it is the future of Illinois. Children who cannot read by third grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school. Dropouts are more likely to live in poverty, struggle with employment, and end up in the criminal justice system.

Illinois is not just under-educating its children—it is undercutting its future workforce, economy, and communities.

“Illinois can no longer afford to fund failure. Parents, taxpayers, and lawmakers must put children—not unions—first.”

A Generation at Risk

Back in Joliet, Mateo still struggles over the pages of his book. His parents keep trying, but they know the system is stacked against him.

Illinois spends more than nearly every other state. Its unions demand more than nearly every other state. Yet its children, like Mateo, continue to get less.

This is not just a policy failure. It is a moral one.

Unless Illinois confronts its literacy crisis head-on, the state will not simply fail a generation of readers. It will fail a generation of citizens.