In Reply to: Chicago posted by Dean on November 22, 2025 at 10:48:04:
Chicago Public Schools’ jet-set scandal, the kids can’t read, but travel expenses are up 2,467%
Chicago Public Schools shelled out $14.5 million on lavish travel—including jaunts to Las Vegas and Egypt—across fiscal years 2023 and 2024, even as just 30.5% of elementary students read at grade level and chronic absenteeism plagues 40% of kids.
Travel Costs Explode Dramatically: Expenses surged 2,467% to $7.7 million in FY 2024 from $300,000 in FY 2021, exceeding pre-pandemic levels with exotic trips to Finland and South Africa.
Student Proficiency Plummets Low: Only 18.3% of grade 3-8 kids are proficient in math; 11th graders fare worse at 22.4% proficient in reading and 18.6% proficient in math on SATs, amid 40.8% chronic absenteeism.
Leaders Face Fierce Backlash: Pastor Corey Brooks blasts “fallen” leadership for self-serving spending; activist Corey DeAngelis dubs the system a “$30K-per-kid dumpster fire” wasting taxpayer funds.
CPS Vows Tighter Controls: School districts have formed a review committee that intends to curb employee travel, and is rolling out a new financial system to boost transparency and prevent future excesses.