By: Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner
If only Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson would swap out their passion for DEI and transgenderism in Illinois classrooms with an obsession for literacy and numeracy, Illinois’ school system might dramatically improve its student outcomes.
That swap is urgently needed. Today, 50% of Illinois’ white students are NOT proficient in reading, according to the state’s own board of education. It’s worse for Hispanic students. 73% are NOT proficient.
For black students, a tragic 80% are NOT proficient. (The outcomes for math are even more tragic. 91% of black students are NOT proficient in math.)
Unfortunately, Pritzker and Johnson are leaning even more heavily into the woke agenda that most Americans, including many on the left, are increasingly rejecting.
Listen and watch them in their own words. First Pritzker in recent speeches at Equality Illinois galas:
“Working with Democrats in the General Assembly, we’ve made Illinois the most LGBTQ+ friendly state in the country…We brought inclusive LGBTQ+ curriculum into our schools so that all students now learn about the contributions of queer and transgender trailblazers…The State Board of Education is implementing gender-inclusive policies to ensure that our schools are welcoming and affirming.”
Nothing about students’ (lack of) ability to read or write.
Then there’s Johnson. Listen to what he praises about his work just as he finishes contract negotiations with the Chicago Teachers Union:
“We have labor peace, we have some real wins. It protects Black history, it protects LGBTQ students, it protects veteran teachers—overwhelmingly women.”
Not a word about accountability for educational outcomes.
Bottom line is, Pritzker and Johnson aren’t offering what everyday Illinois parents need and want: great reading and math results. Great SAT scores. Critical thinking that makes their children resilient.
Instead, both men continue to racialize, sexualize and politicize our classrooms. It’s destructive.
P.S. Some of you will say you’ve heard both men praising the results of Illinois’ education system. The high graduation rates. The “improvement in the National Assessment of Education Progress” tests. Yes, it’s true that both have made such claims. But their comments are simply not true when it comes to literacy and numeracy. We leave you with two graphics that capture much of the failure in education in Illinois – and that contradict the many claims the governor and mayor make. For details on each of those graphics, read this piece and this piece.
Read more from Wirepoints:
- What’s happening in Texas is good news for Illinois parents
- An Illinois school district, where just 7% of kids are proficient in math, rewards superintendent with $480K salary
- One big reason your Illinois property taxes are so high. And why you should get a big refund.
- The next absurd bill from Illinois’ legislature: Removing student test scores from teacher evaluations
Audio and summary 
If this bill passes, say goodbye to local control over all Illinois parks and expect to see open drug and alcohol use, needles, no sanitation and fire hazards, but no ordinary park users.
The first line of this story is so straight forward and clear. So logical and is the best approach for a high level of benefit and return. How is it that these two morons can’t see the easy-best path to success and prosperity? Millions of people in Illinois would support these people in office because they would be moving the state toward financial and social solvency. It makes you wonder whether they are just “drain-bamaged”.
California will fall into the Ocean, so many say.
Illinois will will be swallowed by one big sink hole, probably before California.
It must include the main constituency of Pritzker, Johnson and IL’s Leftist Democrats – the teachers unions. This is what the unions demanded.
Clearly many teachers union members are pedophiles so JB and BJ support this perverted grooming.
“ Mr. Pritzger Goes to Washington.” Mr. Pritzger gets his rainbow/ BLM hat handed to him.
I hope Pritzker keeps talking like this. He’s guaranteeing that he will never be elected to any higher office on the national level.
It’s too late for Pritzker – he can’t outrun his rotten record in IL. In most free and prosperous Red States, Pritzker would have been arrested already.
IL schools need to focus on reading, math, and science. Stop with identity politics in schools.
And to think, despite all of the aforementioned, Illinois voters chose those two.
That’s just it Illinois is 3/4 red JB pritzer cheated in the last election he used Dominion machine that was connected to Wi-Fi. I saw on my phone in the voter area that was ‘
NO! Darren Bailey was a terrible candidate. Period. I know some here don’t want to hear it, but you have to have a more moderate candidate to run against Dems in Illinois. I don’t mean bowing to this gender cult thing. I am baffled by the response in Deerfield but by-and-large the moderates are rejecting gender ideology (even in my Northshore community). I suppose there are still areas hanging on… Deerfield must be one. But, it’s being rejected in other areas it wasn’t previously. We need a solid conservative with compelling oratory skills to make the case for better government.
They only care about their sick, twisted agenda. Illinois will continue the death spiral it is currently in because Democrats only know how to do one thing, which is vote blue. There really is no solution. The best and brightest will leave as soon as possible.
I hope they withhold ALL federal funding from this state.
These guys need a good bitchslap.
The graduates from Illinois schools can clean the toilets for the rest of the nation.
OR see if the can find JB’s toilets to put back in so he can fairly pay his taxes.