IL US Rep: Failing schools cost billions in ‘epidemic’ of poor proficiency

By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square
The Center Square

(The Center Square) – An Illinois congresswoman says students’ failure to learn basic reading and math has major economic consequences.

During a hearing of the U.S. House Committee on Education and Workforce’s Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education, lawmakers and witnesses discussed science-based literacy and a back-to-the-basics approach for reading and math.

Illinois U.S. Rep. Mary Miller, R-Oakland, said large portions of the population are functionally illiterate and cannot perform basic arithmetic.

“This is happening all over the country, all over Illinois, but it is epidemic in Chicago, where our brown and Black children live. The schools are failing them, and we are spending so much money,” Miller said.

Miller referred to Douglass Academy High School in Chicago, which received nearly $94,000 per pupil last year, but no students met proficiency standards in reading.

Citing data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress report card, Miller said only 30% of Illinois’ fourth graders met or exceeded reading proficiency standards.

The congresswoman said illiteracy and the inability to do arithmetic contribute to larger problems as children become teenagers and adults.

“Lack of reading and math proficiency puts tremendous strain on the economy as billions of dollars are lost each year through decreased productivity and workforce inefficiencies,” Miller said.

Louisiana State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley told Miller that schools have been asked to do too much.

“They’ve been asked to take the place of the family, take the place of the church, take the place of the hospital, take the place of the supermarket. They were never ordained to do those things,” Brumley explained.

According to the Nation’s Report Card, Louisiana fourth graders’ literacy ranking improved from 50th in 2019 to 16th in 2024. Illinois ranked 31st last year.

The Education Recovery Scorecard ranked Louisiana first among U.S. states for reading recovery and second for math between 2019 and 2024. Illinois ranked 15th in reading recovery and ninth in math.

The Illinois Policy Institute recently found that Illinois’ education budget increased by nearly $4 billion over the last decade, while the number of students enrolled in the state’s public schools decreased by about 177,000 during the same period.

Illinois’ education budget for the 2025-26 school year is a record-high $11.2 billion.