Students at the emptiest schools in Chicago Public Schools recorded low proficiency and high absenteeism on average. Students at the most overcrowded schools fared better, even with lower spending per student.
The cost of a state university education in Illinois increased 66% between 2009 and 2025, $6,028 more in tuition and fees per year. Blame declining enrollment, a bad state funding formula, pensions and high administrative costs.
Illinois ranked No. 1 for spending per student on higher education in 2024, paying more than double the national average. Declining enrollment, poorly structured finances, growing pension payments and bloated administration have driven up costs.
The five pension systems run by the state of Illinois only have 46 cents on hand for every $1 of benefits they owe. Filling that $144 billion hole would require more money than the price of every NBA team combined.
Accounting standards call for annual spending reports within 180 days of the year’s end. Illinois took 774 days to produce its 2023 report, setting a national record for tardiness.
The vote is over on the Chicago Public Schools budget. It dodged some immediate problems, but the financial mess will continue. Taxpayers will feel the pain long into the future.
Chicago Public Schools board members passed a $10.2 billion budget that could have been worse. They got in this mess because expenditures have ballooned $2.4 billion since 2020, largely because 7,927 workers were added.
Illinois is among the few states to offer no private school choice scholarships after killing its Invest in Kids tax-credit program in 2023. The new federal Educational Choice for Children Act would again give Illinois families access to educational options.
The Chicago Teachers Union had an opinion on everything from immigration to rental fees during the Illinois General Assembly’s regular session. Lawmakers did what the union wanted on nearly 1-in-3 bills.
AAA named Chicago a top domestic travel spot for Labor Day. It also said Illinois has some of the nation’s highest gas prices. Thank Illinois taxes for the extra dings at the pump.
Restrictive zoning laws and policy barriers have prevented new housing construction, driving prices up and Illinois families out.
A new federal law could give Illinois parents funds to help cover the costs of homeschooling, but only if the state agrees to allow it.