Education

Our vision, “a new day of liberty, opportunity and prosperity in Illinois that shines brighter for future generations,” begins with education reform.

Education is the foundation of a free, functioning and prosperous society. Thomas Jefferson wrote, “Enlighten the people, generally, and tyranny and oppressions of body and mind will vanish like spirits at the dawn of day.” Therefore, we all have a vested interest in ensuring the success of future generations through a high-quality education.

Unfortunately, Illinois schools are failing to teach our children the basics. Only 32% of Illinois public elementary school students are reading at grade level. The number decreases to 30% by the end of middle school. By the time they reach the 12th grade, only 20% of public school students possess the skills needed to succeed in college. At least 25% of students in Illinois’s public high schools drop out of school altogether. This statewide failure imposes immeasurable costs on individual lives and our communities.

Illinois legislators continue to offer only one solution – increase government control. But decades of increased spending and increased government control have yielded little improvement in student performance. During the 2008-09 school year, real inflation adjusted per student spending in Illinois was at an all-time high, reaching $26 billion. According to the State Board of Education, combined spending in Illinois public schools totaled $12,363 per pupil.

For the Good of Illinois will work to reverse these trends by engaging, educating and empowering our members to demand real education reform.

Objectives

1. Provide every child in Illinois – regardless of address or household income – an opportunity to receive a high-quality education.
2. Create competition and empower parents by giving them the ability to choose a safe and effective school for their children from a variety of options.
3. Give taxpayers greater control over their investment in public education by making spending 100% transparent and assigning funding to individual students.
4. Measure results by student and teacher performance, not by dollars spent.