IL US Rep: Failing schools cost billions in 'epidemic' of poor
proficiency
[September 05, 2025]
By Jim Talamonti | 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.
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Illinois U.S. Rep. Mary Miller, R-Hindsboro
Greg Bishop | The Center Square
“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.
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