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
25:13 – Public Safety: The Reality vs. Rhetoric
27:18 – Schools, COVID, and the Crime Spike
28:39 – How Prosecutors Changed Crime Trends
29:39 – Domestic Violence on the Rise
30:39 – Why Crime is Underreported
33:30 – Chicago as a “Sanctuary City for Criminals”
35:09 – Police Staffing and Crime Correlation
37:14 – CTA Safety and Ridership Decline
39:11 – Chicago’s Future Forecast
41:07 – The Three Financial Crises Facing the City
42:51 – Who Will Lead Chicago Next?
44:23 – Cook County Politics & Preckwinkle’s Influence
45:46 – Closing Thoughts with Paul Vallas