About this episode

Paul Vallas discusses the challenges facing Chicago's schools, safety, and finances amid rising outmigration and taxes.

Chicago is facing record outmigration, failing schools, and rising taxes. In this debut episode, Paul Vallas—former Chicago Public Schools CEO and 2023 mayoral candidate—joins us to break down why families are leaving Chicago, how the Chicago Teachers Union controls city policymaking, the real state of crime and safety, and how things could have been different. Listen now and subscribe to the Illinois Policy Podcast for honest conversations about Illinois’ future. 00:00 – Chicago’s Crisis: Crime, Taxes, Schools 00:41 – Welcome to the Illinois Policy Podcast 01:07 – Introducing Guest: Paul Vallas 01:25 – What Could Have Been Different? 02:03 – Chicago’s Public Safety Problem 03:17 – Housing & Development Failures 04:03 – Springfield: Missed Opportunities 06:00 – Teachers Union’s Grip on Chicago 07:19 – CPS Staffing & Spending Issues 09:22 – Why Families Are Leaving Chicago 12:03 – How Schools Were Reformed in the Past 14:01 – Local Control and Magnet Schools 15:52 – Lowering Education Standards 18:22 – Attacks on Testing & Accountability 20:03 – Charter and School Choice Options 22:16 – Failing “Sustainable Community Schools” 24:19 – How Unions Block Real Options for Families…

People in this episode

Host: Illinois Policy

Guest: Paul Vallas

Topics covered

• education
• crime
• taxes
• outmigration
• public safety
• Chicago

Keywords

• Chicago
• schools
• crime
• taxes
• outmigration
• public safety
• Teachers Union
• CPS
• education reform

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Chicago Public Schools, Chicago Teachers Union

Places: Chicago, Springfield

More episodes of Illinois Policy Podcast

• Why No One is Selling Homes in Illinois · July 21, 2026 · 49 min
• Why Chicago Workers Are 10% Poorer Today · February 10, 2026 · 58 min
• Is Chicago the Next Detroit? · December 9, 2025 · 32 min
• These three things could fix Illinois in 2023 · January 11, 2023 · 14 min
• The Chicago Teachers Union's war on school choice · January 3, 2023 · 8 min
• These new laws take effect in Illinois in 2023 · December 20, 2022 · 12 min

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