Illinois May Be Losing Money By Limiting School Choice

Government schools cost more than tuition for private schools

CHICAGO — Illinois parents who don't want to send their children to the local public school have plenty of choices, but the state doesn't have the money to fund those options.

The city Tuesday welcomed the National School Choice whistle-stop tour with a crowd of charter school parents and students.

Chicago has 96 charter schools, and Mayor Rahm Emanuel has talked about adding dozens more. But Andrew Broy, president of the Illinois Network of Charter Schools, said there are more students than charter school classrooms can hold.

"Eight years ago we had 6,000 students in charter schools, and a wait-list of 3,000. Today we have 53,000 charter school students in Chicago, and a wait-list of 20,000," Broy said.