As Chicago Public Schools spending per student continues to rise, test scores and proficiency levels among students continue to drop.

Hundreds of Chicago Public Schools buildings have a space-use problem – they’re too empty. Nearly 60% of schools are underutilized while 5% are overcrowded. Only 37% are at ideal capacity. The Chicago Teachers Union wants to add staff to the empty schools.

Illinois students’ reading and math proficiency have yet to rebound from pandemic losses. Illinois parents have a right to know what their children are being taught so they can be part of the solution.

Lawmakers in 2023 required the Illinois State Board of Education to create a public school literacy plan using evidence-based reading instructional practices. A follow-up bill awaiting the governor’s signature would require school vendors to follow that plan.

The Chicago Teachers Union’s current contract limits the growth of charter schools in Chicago. The union’s new contract demands seek to further deny access and limit parents’ options for their children’s educations.

Douglass Academy High School had 35 students with nearly 900 seats unfilled. None were proficient on the SAT. The Chicago Teachers Union wants to add at least eight staffers there and at every other school in the district at a cost of $1.7 billion.

Half of Chicagoans said their biggest concern was “students not learning enough academically.” They expect Chicago Public Schools to “prepare students to go to college.” But the Chicago Teachers Union is demanding more schools that fail those expectations.

As public school enrollment continues to drop, Illinois faces the prospect of a smaller future workforce.

Illinois has limited charter school options or open enrollment policies. Lawmakers should expand public school choice options in Illinois to give families more control over their children’s education.