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ISBE members met with the Illinois House Appropriations
Committee this week and requested an extra $350 million in state
funding go towards the Evidence-Based Funding formula to help
them meet their goal of reaching 90% adequacy for schools over
the next ten and a half years.
Board Chair Steven Isoye said the additional funding is crucial
to schools.
"It has given our schools stability and predictability, and it's
the main lever that advances equity for all schools across the
state," Isoye said.
A report by Wirepoints shows that 53 schools do not have any
students who can do math at their grade level and that at 30
schools, no student can read at grade level.
The report uses data from the Illinois State Board of Education
and found that 18% of the state's 3,547 schools have only 1 out
of 10 kids who are capable of reading at grade level.
State Rep. Blaine Wilhour, R-Beecher City, told the board that
the state in-classroom performance needs to meet the amount of
funding they have been given.
"It seems like oftentimes we define success on how much money we
spend and we are spending a record amount of money on education
in Illinois," Wilhour said. "Across the state, $16,000 per
student, which is much, much higher than a lot of states, and
our numbers are not much better at all."
Of the more than $5 billion in COVID-19 relief tax funds, ISBE
received $480.2 million during the pandemic.
State Rep. William Davis, D-Homewood, urged the board to spend
those funds before asking for more.
"Those were bonus dollars, and I'll use that phrase if you
will," Davis said. "We would like the districts to go ahead and
spend those dollars. If they are not, they are welcome to give
them back."
More than 850 Illinois school districts directly received $4.5
billion in federal COVID-19 relief tax dollars.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker's proposed budget for the coming fiscal year
includes an additional $506 million for K-12 education.
Andrew Hensel reports on issues in Chicago and
Statewide. He has been with The Center Square News since April
of 2021 and was previously with The Joliet Slammers.
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