The Bears Aren't Stealing from Schools — But the Headlines Want You to Think They Are
I was reading an article, about a teachers union that just released a calculator claiming the Bears stadium deal would "erase billions in school funding." It's getting a lot of traction. It's also misleading.
Here's what's actually going on.
The Land Is Basically Worthless Right Now
The proposed stadium site — the former Arlington Park racetrack — is largely vacant. It generates almost nothing in property taxes today. Schools in the area aren't receiving meaningful revenue from it, and haven't been.
Under normal Illinois property tax law, if the Bears built a massive stadium and mixed-use development there, the assessed value would shoot up dramatically — and schools would eventually collect significant new tax revenue from it.
So Where Does the "$5 Billion Loss" Come From?
HB910, the so-called "mega projects" bill, would allow the Bears to pay a negotiated flat fee — called a PILOT (Payment In Lieu of Taxes) — instead of full property taxes. That PILOT would likely land around $10–$12 million per year, versus what could theoretically be $100 million or more at full assessed value.
The Illinois Federation of Teachers calculator takes that gap — full theoretical taxes minus the PILOT — and multiplies it over 40 years. That's where the $5 billion figure comes from.
Here's the Problem With That Math
The $5 billion figure is based on a tax rate no developer would ever actually agree to pay. There's no version of reality where the Bears break ground on a $2 billion stadium knowing their annual tax bill could hit $100 million or more. The deal simply doesn't happen at those numbers — which means schools collect zero from that land, not billions.
The calculator compares the PILOT to a scenario that couldn't exist in practice, then calls the difference a "loss."
What's Actually Being Debated
No school district is losing a dollar they currently receive. The real question is: how much of the new value created by this development should flow to schools and local governments?
That's a completely legitimate policy debate. Schools and local taxing bodies absolutely deserve a meaningful share of the economic activity a project like this generates. The union isn't wrong to push for that.
But "erasing billions in school funding" is not an accurate description of what's happening. It's advocacy framing — designed to generate outrage, not inform.
The Bears aren't taking money from schools. They're just not giving schools as much new money as the union thinks they should. Know the difference before you share the calculator.
