Chicago City Wire

Illinois gubernatorial candidate and State Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia), suggests considering other options on where to spend the education budget instead of wasting the finances in schools that have declining enrollment numbers.

"We all agree funding education is important, but we need to be smart about how we spend money," Bailey said. "If enrollment is on a downward spiral, why not look at alternatives such as charter schools instead of sinking more money into failing schools with declining enrollment? We need more accountability when it comes to how our education dollars are allocated."

One-third of Chicago Public Schools' (CPS) 478 stand-alone “traditional” or non-charter, non-contract schools, are less than half-full, according to CPS, Matt Rosenburg of Wirepoints reported. According to the report, this can be attributed to several factors such as "teachers union power politics, weak administrations and absent political leadership." Most empty schools are only filled to 5% to 25% of capacity and are low-ranked statewide in educational outcomes. The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) has defended keeping the institutions open despite the low attendance rates. 

“It’s why taxpayers should demand real school choice in the form of vouchers," Rosenburg said. "Take Manley High School. It’s a glaring example of just how far CPS and CTU are willing to go. The school’s capacity? 1,296 students. The number of students now? Just 64 – 4.9% of available seats. Douglas High School? Capacity 888. Seats filled? 44. Uplift High School has a capacity of 720 seats but only 55, or 7.6%, are filled. The list goes on.” 

A whistleblower revealed documents from the previous year that showed CTU members politicizing classrooms. The roundup featured a library specialist who defied a directive from the school administration to stop discussing race in the classroom and CTU executive Jackson Potter's assessment of how “patriarchy, materialism and white supremacy shape our notions of love.” An eighth grade teacher also noted she started off one session by stealing her student’s belongings because society at large is “acting like this country wasn't built on stolen land by people who stole everything from people of color,” Chicago City Wire reported.

The CTU represents 25,000 members in Chicago Public Schools. It is the nation’s third-largest district and oversees 340,000 students, Chicago Tribune reported.

"The CTU isn't a union. It's a political party with a very strict agenda. Anyone who says otherwise is a liar," one critic of the union said, Chicago City Wire reported.