PRESS RELEASE from
ILLINOIS POLICY

CONTACT: Micky Horstman (312) 607-4977

What to watch: Chicago’s first school board race 
Chicago Public Schools has seen test scores decline under Chicago Teachers Union leadership 

CHICAGO (Nov. 4, 2024) – Tomorrow, Chicago residents will for the first time elect 10 members to the Board of Education that oversees Chicago Public Schools. The Chicago Teachers Union has endorsed and campaigned on behalf of candidates running for the board in each district, vying for power over school district decisions.

According to Illinois Policy, Chicago Public Schools has seen test scores and enrollment decline under current CTU leadership, even while spending has grown.

In 2024, fewer than 31% of students in third through eighth grade could read at grade level, while just 18% could perform math proficiently. The numbers are similarly low for the district’s 11th grade students, at 22% for reading and 19% for math. Only third- through eighth-grade reading proficiency has recovered to above pre-pandemic levels.

“Under CTU leadership, CPS continues to underprepare students to meet grade-level standards in reading and math,” said Hannah Schmid, policy analyst for Illinois Policy.“CTU leadership should be focused on improving student outcomes. Instead, they have spent their fall lobbying for elected school board positions, hiding four years of internal audits from members and negotiating for the most extreme union contract demands in the nation with billions of dollars for their radical, political agenda. Chicago families deserve better.”

Students suffering under CTU leadership:

• Scores for CPS third- through eighth-grade students decreased to fewer than 1 in 4 low-income, Hispanic and Black students being proficient in reading and around 1 in 10 proficient in math.
• Among 11th grade students, proficiency in reading and math also decreased for low-income, Hispanic and Black students. The lowest scores were for 7.4% of Black students meeting math proficiency.
• Chronic absenteeism increased in the 2023-2024 school year to 40.8%, meaning 2 in 5 students missed more than 10% of the school year.
• Per pupil operational spending has increased by over $8,500 since 2019. In fiscal year 2023, CPS spent $25,459 on operational spending per student – about $6,500 above the state average.

“Chicago residents have the opportunity to reject CTU’s grip on public education that has worsened student outcomes and driven up residents’ taxes,” said Mailee Smith, senior director of labor policy at Illinois Policy. “CTU leadership repeatedly prioritizes its own political goals over the needs of the union’s members and students. Chicagoans deserve board members that aren’t beholden to Chicago’s new political machine.”

To learn more about Chicago Public Schools proficiency ratings, visit illini.is/chicagoschoolscores.

For interviews or interviews, contact media@illinoispolicy.org or (312) 607-4977.