South Cook News

Patricia Bonk, a candidate for Illinois’ House District 30, recently drew attention to the alarming rates of functional illiteracy in the state. The statistics, which Bonk described as "shocking," indicate a prevalent issue among Illinois adults.

"This is sad," expressed Bonk on her Facebook page, reflecting on the recent data about functional illiteracy in Illinois.

Illinois Policy, a non-profit organization that advocates for free-market principles and limited government, also voiced its concern about this issue. The organization labelled the situation as "disgraceful" and shared a graphic on social media with data from the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). According to PIAAC's findings, 20% of Illinois adults are functionally illiterate. The organization further highlighted county-specific rates, such as Cook County's staggering 25% functional illiteracy rate – noticeably higher than the statewide average.

According to Illinois Policy, the study also revealed an unsettling discrepancy between high graduation rates and low reading proficiency in Illinois public schools. This disparity is particularly pronounced in Chicago Public Schools (CPS), where despite an 82.9% four-year graduation rate in 2023, only 22% of 11th-grade students demonstrated proficiency in reading. The data, sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), underscored the challenges faced by functionally illiterate adults including difficulties understanding sentences, locating information and completing simple forms. Furthermore, NCES pointed out a financial impact: adults with the lowest levels of literacy proficiency tend to earn nearly $24,000 less than those with basic literacy skills.

Bonk has served as a registered nurse and worked as an emergency responder and firefighter for the Villages of Lemont and Northwest Homer. She currently holds office as a Trustee in the Midlothian Library Board and actively participates in the Midlothian policing committee. A cancer survivor herself, Bonk also leads the South Suburban Cancer Walk team, as per her website.

Illinois’ House District 30 includes the communities of Dolton, South Holland, Harvey, Markham, Oak Forest, Midlothian, and Homewood along with parts of Tinley Park and Olympia Fields. State Rep. Will Davis (D-Homewood.)  currently represents the district. According to Ballotpedia, Davis has held his role for 20 years and intends to seek another term to represent District 30.