A recent study by Wirepoints found that Illinois spending on education grew the most in the country between 2007-2019 yet student learning remained flat.

A central Illinois state lawmaker indicates education spending in Illinois is very complex but one of the biggest problems is, according to State Sen. Chapin Rose, there is so much money wrapped up in administration and not funding going into the classrooms.

According to Sen. Rose, he has found himself in hot water in recent years suggesting administrative costs could be reduced by reducing the number of administrators in a district, something many school leaders are hesitant to agree to. Despite that, he does focus on the top-heavy trend in schools.

Another challenge of education in Illinois, and the Mahomet Republican points out he's tried to address this before through legislation, is to clean up the number of students in a building that could likely close but those students would have to go a longer distance to attend school in the opposite direction.

Last week, Sen. Rose advocated for local control when it comes to schools and COVID policies for the fall. He points out, if he's for local control in that circumstance, he needs to be for local control in this circumstance, admitting it is quite complicated.

In 2019, Illinois spent $16,227 per student. Across all 50 states, Illinois ranked 12th in total per-student spending and 8th when cost-of-living is factored in. Illinois’ National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) math and reading scores have remained virtually flat over the 2007-2019 period.