As violent crime, political corruption, a population exodus, and an enormous budget shortfall continue to plague Chicago, another grave issue looms over the future of the Windy City: a floundering education system.

In early April, Chicago voters elected Brandon Johnson, a former Chicago Public Schools (CPS) teacher, to become the city's next mayor.  Johnson, who is more progressive than outgoing mayor Lori Lightfoot, defeated former CPS CEO Paul Vallas.

Unlike Johnson, Vallas was at least willing to consider implementing a form of school choice in Chicago, seeing as how CPS is completely failing to educate Chicago's youth, let alone keep them safe while in school.

In Chicago, only 25 percent of elementary students tested at or above the proficient reading level, and only 21 percent did so in math.  What's worse, those numbers generally go down, not up, as students "progress" through middle school and high school. 

Chicago families are yearning for answers concerning the city's failing education system, as these shortcomings persist despite CPS spending $29,400 per student in 2023.  For context, in 2013, CPS spent $13,200 per pupil.  Evidently, more spending does not necessarily translate into better results.

On the other hand, increased competition in the education realm, in the form of school choice, wherein parents have the freedom to choose what schools their children attend, seems to be a commonsense solution to what ails CPS.

In fact, school choice seems to be the only solution to the endless cycle of corruption, fraud, waste, and abuse that has become endemic throughout CPS.  At a bare minimum, school choice would offer a much needed alternative path for thousands of Chicago families who have no choice other than to send their kids to woefully underperforming public schools.

Not only does school choice seem to be a worthwhile solution, but it is vastly popular among nearly every demographic group.  School choice is one of the few issues that is popular regardless of where one stands on the political spectrum.  Moreover, as recent polling demonstrates, school choice is widely supported across racial, socioeconomic, and even generational lines.

Despite this overwhelming support for school choice, Chicago voters elected Johnson, a champion for CPS and dedicated to further empowering the already too powerful Chicago Teachers Union.  Sadly, with the election of Johnson, the odds of a robust school choice program in Chicago are less likely than ever before

But the damage Johnson is prepared to inflict does not stop here.

Johnson has also made it clear that he will not do away with the practice of "social promotion," where students who fail to meet bare minimum grade-level requirements are pushed forward regardless and graduate despite never reaching proficiency in core subjects. 

Further compounding the consequences of social promotion, Johnson has also pledged to dim the standards by which a school's success is rated. 

Now, granted, I don't want to paint this as overly black and white.  I do see some merit in a standard that is not uniform.  However, reducing standards and student achievement just to make the schools appear better is a total disservice to Chicagoans, who deserve more from their public schools.

That being said, there needs to be some objective standards for parents and administrators to assess whether or not these schools are doing the job of educating students.

Submission to this principle of low expectations, combined with the practice of social promotion by which children with no business proceeding to the next grade are pushed forward, will be a travesty for the development of Chicago's next generation. 

So, in short, the plan is fewer options for schooling, less incentive to improve schools, less incentive for student success, and less accountability for school failure.  Check, check, check, and check.  The Chicago Teachers Union got its way, on account of the more than $764,000 it forked over to Brandon Johnson's campaign.  And it did so at the expense of the children who need help the most.  Chicago voters have no one to blame but themselves.

Now, Chicagoans must live with the consequences of their choice to elect Johnson.  For the time being, Chicagoans can only watch helplessly as the school choice movement in the Windy City comes to a screeching halt.  Hopefully, next time around, Chicago voters consider someone who is more amenable to school choice.

Scott Leven (think@heartland.org) is a communications intern with The Heartland Institute.

Image: TDKR Chicago 101.