A new report this week paints a clearer picture of the damage done to Illinois’ education system following a number of Executive Orders by the Pritzker Administration, which forced school closures due to COVID-19 beginning in 2020.
Advance Illinois released a report titled “The State We’re In,” Aug. 11 to further examine how COVID-19 has impacted the state’s education system.
The report cites a dramatic impact on enrollment, specifically targeting the state’s youngest learners and community college institutions.
Enrollment at the K-12 level across the state fell by three percent. For public schools, enrollment fell three percent while enrollment at private schools fell 3.5 percent. According to the report, Fall 2020 enrollment numbers at Illinois community colleges fell majorly at 14 percent.
Since the beginning of COVID-19, Senate Republicans have made several pleas for the Legislature to be a part of the decision-making process, but instead the Pritzker Administration has acted unilaterally issuing dozens of Executive Orders for the entire state without input from the state legislature.