Why does Illinois have an education system that relies on property taxes? Where did physical education, high schools and vocational education in Illinois schools originate? How did Chicago become its own school district with separate rules and a separate pension from the schools in the rest of the state? These questions and more are explained in Thomas J. Suhrbur’s book, Public Education and Social Reform: A History of the Illinois Education Association.
For those who complain about or question our current school structures, this book offers the reasons why. Suhrbur, a longtime staffer of the Illinois Education Association, provides a deep dive into many aspects of education and the major legislative initiatives that have shaped the current system.
The title might suggest this is just a history of the IEA, but it is much more. It puts into context national views on education, legislation introduced since 1853 and education movers and shakers in the state, both in and out of the union What ties it all together is that the union continually pushed for social justice and equity no matter a child’s religion, race or gender.
An education summit in 1853 with 31 delegates formed the Illinois State Teachers Association with goals to create a teacher institute and preparation program, publish a journal and work for legislation. In 1855, the Free Public School Act established funding for schools with 61% paid by the state and allowing local property taxes. Three thousand schools were built across the state. A new funding plan in 1873 established a $1 million a year state subsidy. Legislators froze this amount until 1907, causing local districts to raise property taxes. The ISTA first supported a graduated state income tax in 1920. Although proposed off and on over the years, this has never come to fruition.
At first ISTA was small, mainly made up of administrators in all areas of education who worked closely with labor and business groups. From 1880-1909, an annual meeting convened in Springfield. The coalition passed legislation establishing teacher training institutes, compulsory attendance laws, school libraries, teacher certification and kindergarten.
Gaining members was slow, with more than half of the 1,000 members coming from central Illinois. Although ISTA floundered, Chicago created an all-female union named the Chicago Teachers Federation. That group supported Ella Flagg Young, the Chicago school superintendent, in efforts to include teachers in decision-making within the union.
Today, there are two education unions, the Illinois Education Association (IEA was renamed from ISTA in 1936 and part of the National Education Association, formed in 1857) and the Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT, part of the American Federation of Teachers, was formed in 1916).
In the early years, though, there were regional groups that worked with labor groups, business leaders and parent teacher groups for gains in education, often led by ISTA. Achievements included sanitation in schools with purified drinking water, ventilation, lighting in classrooms, a state pension system and high schools.
By 1912, ISTA reorganized and merged regional groups, and in 1915 hired Robert C. Moore as executive director. During his 23-year tenure, membership and staff increased. The headquarters at 100 E. Edwards St. in Springfield, was built in 1931 and is IEA’s main office today. It is one of the only Art Deco buildings in downtown Springfield.
Both IEA and IFT eventually became separate unions. Those working in public education were represented by IEA and teachers were members of IFT. Collective bargaining was established by IFT, while IEA built coalitions with administrators to gain rights. Illinois Federation of Teachers was tied to trade unions and their militant actions such as walkouts and strikes, and was known to back political candidates. Illinois Education Association did not affiliate with a political party or interest group. Today, IFT is part of AFL-CIO; IEA is not.
A major shift in IEA came in the 1960s when more teachers wanted a say in their work and started asking for a seat at the table; some administrators and school board members viewed their role as sole decision makers. With administrators as IEA members and in top leadership positions, tensions and disputes arose when teachers bargained for rights. Administrators left in 1970, and IEA became more outspoken in its commitment to human rights. Minority involvement was pushed by leaders such as Reg Weaver, who served IEA as vice-president, became IEA’s first African American president in 1981 and in 2002 became NEA president; and Anne Davis, who in 1999 became the first female African-American president of IEA, among others.
A wave of state legislation, executive orders and state supreme court decisions in the 1960s, ruling that public employees could bargain collectively with their employers, led to radical changes. Locals asked for help in bargaining, and IEA organized staff to meet that request. Both IFT and IEA vied for exclusive representation of locals through elections.
Strikes were rare and illegal, but locals demanded their rights by organizing strikes. The first was in 1906 by the Saline County Teachers Association in southern Illinois; the first IEA strike was in 1966 in Decatur.
Although some in education were not in favor of collective bargaining, others saw this as a way to address teacher concerns and raise student needs such as class size. Many districts engaged in collective bargaining; the Springfield school district and the local union bargained a contract as early as the 1960s. By 1981, 80% of K-12 teachers were working under a negotiated contract, but there was no mandate that school boards had to bargain.
With hard-fought efforts, the Illinois Education Labor Relations Act was passed and signed by Gov. James Thompson in 1983. It established collective bargaining and allowed strikes with provisions. The Springfield Education Association went on strike three times prior to the collective bargaining law and has never gone on strike since.
Notable achievements:
• After World War I, legislation was introduced to provide military training for boys in high school. ISTA called for physical education to build a strong group of children, and it was mandated in 1957.
• Creating high schools was a debate led by ISTA. In 1870, the Chicago Tribune called the idea a luxury and a waste of taxpayer dollars. Once high school education was implemented in the 1920s, the Tribune, Carnegie Foundation, and anti-tax groups argued that only middle-class students be allowed to attend.
• In 1911, Edward Cooley introduced legislation proposing that students in seventh grade have a choice to enter either a vocational or academic program. It was argued by ISTA that all students should be given access to both tracts. The bill failed, but vocational education was added over time.
Other achievements included the establishment of a pension system in 1939, equal pay for men and women, support for some charter schools (SEA helped establish the charter school in Springfield), work in trauma-informed methods to help students, building coalitions, school reform efforts and collaboration efforts with districts and locals, to name a few.
The book delves into these and many other areas of education and includes history, facts and interviews.
Cinda Ackerman Klickna taught in Springfield public schools and learned many things while serving as president of the Springfield Education Association and Illinois Education Association.
This article appears in June 25-July 1, 2026.
