An incisive investigation by the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Office of Inspector General has unveiled that the district allocated an eye-popping $14.5 million on what has been termed “excessive” travel expenses over the fiscal years 2023 and 2024.

The findings emerge alongside troubling statistics that show only 30.5% of students in grades 3 through 8 achieved reading proficiency, with a mere 18.3% reaching proficiency in math by the spring of 2024.

Chicago pastor Corey Brooks expressed to Fox News Digital, “It’s a disheartening reflection of our city’s decline and the poor leadership in place. These decision-makers seem to believe their personal expenditures contribute more to our education system than investing directly in the children who truly need it.”

Brooks further noted, “In our community, reading proficiency stands at a dismal 6%. If the citywide figure is 30%, it’s imperative for all those in positions of power to address this seriously.”

A scathing report from the Chicago Public Schools Inspector General has brought to light CPS’s lavish $14.5 million travel spending during FY 2023-24, coinciding with alarmingly low student proficiency rates—only 30.5% in reading and 18.3% in math for grades 3-8—plus nearly 41% chronic absenteeism. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

The CPS OIG report showed that the school system spent $7.7 million in FY 2024 alone, a 2,467% increase in travel expenses from FY 2021’s $300,000 spending. Pre-pandemic spending from CPS was still dramatically lower, showing $3.6 million in travel expenses for FY 2019. 

CPS OIG’s report also reveals school system officials took lavish trips to Las Vegas, Egypt, Finland and South Africa. 

In addition to the proficiency levels for grades 3–8, data also shows that in spring 2024, just 22.4% of CPS 11th graders were proficient in reading based on SAT scores, a test which is required by the state of Illinois. Similarly, 11th graders showed just 18.6% proficiency in math. 

“The Chicago Public School system is a complete dumpster fire,” Educational Freedom Institute Executive Director Corey DeAngelis told Fox News Digital. “These government-run institutions are sentencing children to a future without opportunities.”

Amid dire academic performance and attendance rates, pastor Corey Brooks blasted CPS leadership for prioritizing lavish travel over students’ needs, calling it “a sad commentary on how far our city has fallen.” (Getty Images)

“Chicago Public Schools spend about $30,000 per student and most of the kids still can’t read on grade level,” DeAngelis added. “The government school system is a bottomless pit, lighting taxpayer money on fire, while constantly asking for more.” 

In addition to the poor proficiency levels, school attendance has also been a major issue in the Windy City. If a student misses 10% or more of school days during the year, CPS labels the student a chronic absentee. 

In 2024, 40.8% of students in CPS suffered from chronic absenteeism.

“These young children aren’t even going to school now, and you never hear [about] it,” Brooks explained. “No one ever talks about it.”

“You have third, fourth, fifth, sixth graders who can’t read, and they’re going to eventually become frustrated to the point of what we’re seeing, just saying, I quit, I’m not going to go,” he added. “You add to that the lack of parenting. Where parents are allowing these children to just do what they want to do… they’re just disinterested, and they’re falling by the wayside every single day.”

CPS responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment by saying they have formed a committee to review travel expenses. CPS said the committee was effective Oct. 29 and that a letter was sent to all CPS staff on that date. 

CPS told Fox News Digital they have changed their travel policies after the school system spent millions on “excessive” expenses.  (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

CPS also noted that they are restricting “nearly all employee travel.”

“Travel controls, transparency, and auditability will improve with the implementation of the new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) financial system that is currently underway, a spokesperson for CPS told Fox News Digital. “ERP will improve automation for improved reconciliation between travel requests and travel spend as well as automate restrictions on types of travel, amounts, and accounts.”

“We take seriously the findings and recommendations from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) and will continue to ensure our District policies and procedures support the highest ethical standards and that our employees act in the best interest of our students, the District, and our city,” the spokesperson added.

Brooks also told Fox that educational, city and state leaders often ignore the needs of the widely damaged public school system, saying officials get to put their kids in the “best schools” while public school students suffer.

“[They] are looking at the interest of themselves, not looking at the interest of their children, but even more so, they get to send their children to private schools and the best schools while children in our neighborhoods continue to fail,” he explained. “That’s not right.”