To: The Illinois General Assembly

Illinois has a proud history of innovation in public education. In 1985, our state established the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA) — a publicly funded, state-supported school created to address an urgent national need: more students prepared for STEM careers. IMSA is funded directly by the Illinois General Assembly, not through the State Board of Education, allowing it the freedom to operate outside restrictive mandates while maintaining public access and accountability.

Today, we face another urgent need. Our children are growing up in a world that is rapidly changing — one we cannot fully predict. They need learning environments that develop not only knowledge, but adaptability, creativity, independence, and agency.

Montessori education is uniquely designed for this moment.
It offers:

Individualized, self-paced learning that meets children where they are.
Hands-on, experiential education that connects abstract concepts to real-world understanding.
A focus on independence and agency, preparing students to think critically and act responsibly.
Public Montessori programs in Illinois already serve children well — but they are constrained by the same rigid regulations that often stifle innovation in traditional schools. Just like IMSA was created to address the STEM gap, we now need Illinois Public Montessori Academies — fully funded by the state legislature, with the freedom to operate outside the Illinois State Board of Education’s restrictive framework.

We call on the Illinois General Assembly to:

Establish publicly funded Montessori academies modeled after IMSA.
Allocate direct state funding, independent of ISBE mandates, to allow for authentic Montessori implementation.
Ensure these academies are accessible to children from all backgrounds, with equity as a core value.
Illinois led the way with STEM education innovation. It’s time to lead again — this time with an education model that prepares every child for the unknown future ahead.