{ A Letter from a Solid Rock Parent }

The news lately around “School Choice” has been FAST and FURIOUS.  This is exciting for parents who believe the best place for their child is what is best for their child and their family.  That could mean homeschooling, public school, or like us, a private school like Solid Rock Christian Academy.   

Year after year, state after state, has been embracing school choice with great success.  

Personally, I have been watching this happen for a while. I saw how states could go from one of the worst states to some of the best after they embraced school choice.  I can remember 20 + years ago, Florida was hovering near the bottom (48 or 49th worst state in education), but Governor(s) Rick Scott and Ron Desantis have put school choice in FULL MODE in Florida over the last 10-15 years.   

The result?  Florida is now one of the top states educationally, and one of the top 1-2 when it comes to SCHOOL CHOICE.  In fact, by 2020, Florida had moved into the 3rd best state in K-12 education.   They also spend a lot less per student vs. Illinois.  Florida spent $11,000 per child vs. the $21,830 per child in Illinois (2023-2024 data).    

In fact, here is one source with some shocking data on Illinois education as of 2023-2024.      

• According to the Education Data Initiative, Illinois K-12 schools spend $21,830 per pupil on average, most of which comes from local and state taxes. But the state’s report reveals less than half of that money – 46% – is spent on instruction.  
• One-third of district spending goes to support services, while the rest is spent on general administration and other expenses.  
• We are struggling in our math and ELA (English/Language Arts) scores. 
• While students in grades 3-8 did increase the average ELA score from 37.8% in 2019 to 41.2% in 2024, that improvement was the exception, not the rule. Indeed, the same set of students declined in math: 31.8% in 2019 to 28.4% in 2024.  
• And 11th graders did worse across the board, declining over 5 points in ELA and over 8 points in math.  
• Overall, just one-in-four Illinois students are proficient in math, and fewer than half meet standards in reading.  
• For the FULL Article

Anyway, back to the topic. SCHOOL CHOICE.  

A.K.A. Putting your child in the right place where it best makes sense for that child.   

As a parent, I follow tons of resources when it comes to watching education, culture trends, and what is happening across our country.

I discovered an organization called the Herzog Foundation that actually ranks each state on how they are doing for the school choice based on 4 different categories (types of choice, transparency, teacher freedom, and return on investment).

Sadly, Illinois ranks #34 overall when it comes to school choice.

To see how the rest of the states fall and all the different definitions click here. 

NEWS FLASH! HEADWINDS IN ILLINOIS.  

There is a head wind stirring in Illinois that threatens school choice even farther.  Quietly, there was a bill called the Home School Act that was introduced into the 1st house on February 5th.   (Bill Linked Here)

Here’s what I want to call out:  

While this bill starts with homeschooling as the basis, it has language that can lead to further changes beyond homeschool.  It actually refers to homeschool as a “private school” so this language could possibly have implications for traditional private schools like our school.  

• It would require homeschooling families to file burdensome paperwork every year with the local school district or face truancy charges, potential prison time, or the removal of their children, and it would open the door to unnecessary and stressful educational reviews of families and children by local school districts.
• It would make it more difficult for families to seek special education services and lay the legal groundwork for homeschooling to be even more regulated in coming years.”  
• Additionally, H.B. 2827 will also create new regulations on traditional brick-and-mortar private schools, including religious and sectarian private schools. Page 23, line 17 states “beginning on August 1, 2026, all nonpublic elementary and secondary schools in the State of Illinois shall register with the State Board of Education on an annual basis.”

So, a bill like this could potentially open the Pandora’s box to further reducing school choice, specifically the parent’s right to choose the best place to raise/educate their child that best works for them and their families.  

Here is where you can track the bill as it goes through the 1st and 2nd House.

My major purpose in writing this letter was to bring awareness to this HEAD WIND, to ask you to pray, and to respectfully call/email your state reps that parents should have the choice to choose where to educate their child without undue red tape / regulations.

Here is where you can email your state rep.  We urge you to call and email your Illinois state representative and Illinois state senator today and politely, but firmly, ask them to reject H.B. 2827. (Although the bill has not been introduced in the Senate, we believe this issue is important enough to contact both the House and Senate.) Your message can be as simple as the following: (this is an EXAMPLE SCRIPT ~ you can modify it to meet your situation.  Here is mine!)

As a parent who believes in School Choice, who respectfully believes that a parent can homeschool, send their child to public school, or like us, we choose to send our child to a private Christian school who doesn’t take funds from the state!  
I respectfully urge you to oppose H.B. 2827. This 45-page bill will overturn 75 years of Illinois Supreme Court precedent protecting home education in the landmark case of People v. Levisen.
It would require homeschooling families to file burdensome paperwork every year with the local school district or face truancy charges, potential prison time, or the removal of their children, and it would open the door to unnecessary and stressful educational reviews of families and children by local school districts. It would make it more difficult for families to seek special education services and lay the legal groundwork for homeschooling to be even more regulated in coming years.”  
Additionally, H.B. 2827 will also create new regulations on traditional brick-and-mortar private schools, including religious and sectarian private schools. Page 23, line 17 states “beginning on August 1, 2026, all non-public elementary and secondary schools in the State of Illinois shall register with the State Board of Education on an annual basis.”  
In states that have full school choice, it is proven that education improves (not declines) when school choice is best made for the child.  In fact, more studies prove that homeschooling and smaller class sizes HELP the child succeed vs not.  
This bill would take Illinois further backwards in areas where we have succeeded in education.
Please oppose HB 2827.

A concerned parent and citizen.

Remember, you were called to parent your child, in this time, for His purpose and His way.   

Don’t forget this scripture in Esther 4:14:  “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” 

Because He Lives,  

A Solid Rock Parent