Chicago City Wire

Paul Vallas, former CEO of Chicago Public Schools, said that Illinois' high taxes, crime rates, failing schools, and sanctuary laws are prompting residents to leave and contributing to the state's economic decline. This statement was made on the social media platform X.

"JB Pritzker's Illinois," said Vallas, Former Chief Executive Officer. "Illinois' high taxes, failing schools, high crime, and statewide sanctuary laws has resulted in the state exchanging high income residents for migrants. Wirepoints reports that there are over 530,000 illegal migrants in Illinois. Despite receiving $14 billion in COVID money for operations Pritzker raised taxes and fees 49 times draining $6.7 billion from taxpayers."

Under Governor JB Pritzker's administration, Illinois has increased spending on education and healthcare, raised taxes by $700 million in the latest $55.2 billion budget, enacted sanctuary policies for undocumented immigrants, and funded community anti-violence efforts. ABC7 Chicago and Axios report that the administration’s agenda also included eliminating the grocery tax and banning private immigration detention centers, reflecting a progressive policy shift in multiple sectors.

According to the Illinois Policy Institute, the state recently lost over 56,000 residents due to domestic out-migration and now ranks 48th nationally for people leaving. WalletHub reports that Illinoisans pay over 10% of their income in state and local taxes—ranking as the 7th highest in the United States—while Census data lists per-capita income at $45,043 and median household income at $80,306.

Illinois’ tax burden exceeds the national average at over 10% of income compared to about 9% for the U.S. as a whole. A federal report cited by the House Oversight Committee found targeted areas in Illinois saw a 41% drop in gun violence under Pritzker; however, overall violent crime rates remain slightly above national averages, and statewide education outcomes remain below national proficiency levels.

According to Wikipedia, Paul Vallas served as CEO of Chicago Public Schools from 1995 to 2001 before leading school districts in Philadelphia and New Orleans. He is known for his public policy work in school finance, charter school expansion, and city budget reform. Vallas has been a Democratic candidate for mayor and lieutenant governor and remains active in education reform.

Chicago Public Schools is described by Wikipedia as the fourth-largest school district in the U.S., founded in 1837 with over 323,000 students and 634 schools as of 2023. It is governed by a CEO and an appointed board, operates on a budget exceeding $9 billion, and plays a central role in urban and state education policy.