With FY24 Budget, Advance Illinois Applauds Lawmakers and Governor Pritzker for Continued Education Investments and Big Steps to Support Access, Equity, and Quality for Children, Students in Our State 

CHICAGO, IL (May 27, 2023)—We congratulate the Illinois General Assembly on passing a budget that prioritizes education and recognizes the ongoing, deep, and uneven impact the pandemic continues to have on learners of all ages. 

“While the budget does not contain everything we hoped for, it clearly and rightly prioritizes children, students, and families across the state,” said Robin Steans, President of Advance Illinois. "We applaud our elected officials for supporting young people of all ages, who continue to struggle with the academic and mental health tolls that come with years of disrupted learning.”  

Investing in Our Youngest Learners 

This winter, we joined partners from across the state’s early childhood community in celebrating the Governor’s historic plan for stabilizing and growing Illinois’ early learning and care system for the thousands of families who rely on its services, instruction, and supports. A child’s earliest developmental experiences are foundational to later success in school and life, so how well we support children’s care and development shapes our collective future. Accordingly, we applaud the General Assembly’s support for Smart Start Ilinois. Rooted in the recommendations set forth by the Commission on Equitable Early Childhood Education and Care Funding, Smart Start Illinois takes a systemic approach to improving and broadening access to early childhood in our state. By expanding preschool, child care, early intervention, and home visiting, Smart Start will also work to fix issues that undermine the equity and sustainability of our early childhood systems. The legislature’s substantial investment for Smart Start and early childhood includes an additional  $74 million for the Early Childhood Block Grant, $170 million for the state’s child care system—including resources to increase workforce compensation—$40 million for Early Intervention, and $5 million for home visiting, as well as $50 million for early childhood capital improvements, $3 million for early childhood special education to expand work similar to that of the Early CHOICES pilot,  and $1.6 million for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, an initiative to provide free books to children birth to age 5. These investments mark important steps in strengthening the system at every point to ensure more children and families can access the education, care, and services they need.  

Wins for Higher Education 

In the FY24 budget, lawmakers once again invested at an historic level in the state’s Monetary Award Program (MAP). In affirming Governor Pritzker’s proposed $100 million increase for this need-based student financial aid program, our lawmakers have made it clear they understand that MAP is the state’s most valuable tool in making college more affordable and accessible to all Illinois students. Combined with PELL grants, this additional investment will allow nearly all community college students and as many as 40 percent of public university students at or below median income levels to complete their postsecondary education debt-free. What a powerful message to the next generation!  

What’s more, we applaud the General Assembly for including a 7 percent increase in institutional postsecondary funding—the largest increase to this expenditure in 20 years.  While there is more work to be done, this significant increase is a step in the right direction. This summer, the Commission on Equitable Public University Funding is set to make recommendations on how to create a more equitable, student-centered funding model for our public universities.  As a member of the Coalition for Transforming Higher Education Funding, we look forward to working with the General Assembly to ensure that higher education funding is not only adequate and stable, but that it equitably distributes state resources. 

Growing and Strengthening our Teacher Pipeline 

We applaud Illinois legislators for approving investments that will further strengthen our educator pipeline. Lawmakers heard and listened to advocates seeking greater investment in future teachers of color, and they delivered. They approved $8 million for the Minority Teachers of Illinois scholarship (MTI) to grow the state’s incoming pool of teachers, increasing the number of scholarship candidates by more than half. Research shows that having teachers of color improves test scores and attendance, and reduces suspension rates for students of color. The additional funds allocated to MTI will help hundreds more aspiring teachers of color receive financial support that will ultimately pay off in classrooms across the state. Additionally, investments in such programs as Golden Apple Scholars/Accelerators, principal mentoring, and Teach for America, along with the creation of a new Teacher Vacancy Grant Pilot Program, will help support, strengthen, and expand proven programs and invest in new strategies on both the supply and demand side of the teacher shortage challenge.  

Supporting Our School Districts  

Since last fall, advocates have called for increased investments into the Evidence-based Funding (EBF) formula to accelerate Illinois’ steps toward fully funding every school district. This week, lawmakers approved an appropriation of $350 million for EBF, the minimum annual increase amount set forth when the formula was signed into law in 2017. Recognizing the unique complexity of this year’s budget environment and the decisions lawmakers had to make, we thank them for maintaining a steady eye on this priority and renewing their commitment to it. Because we know EBF works.  

In five of the last six years, the General Assembly has approved increases to the formula—investing nearly $1.6 million in new tier funding overall. This commitment has drastically reduced the number of underfunded school districts in Illinois. However, with over half of the state’s students—more than one million children—still in districts below 75% of full funding, we need to make good on having missed a year of increased funding during the pandemic, and need to commit to growing EBF investments to make sure every student enrolled at an Illinois public K-12 school can access quality education sooner. If Illinois continues at its current rate of adding $350 million additional dollars to EBF each year, the formula will not be fully funded in real inflation-adjusted terms for at least another 15 years.  That represents an entire generation of children. We can cut that time in half if Illinois increases its annual investment into EBF to at least $550 million a year. We can and must find a way to meet our students’ needs faster. 

We look forward to continuing to work alongside advocates and partners across the B-20 continuum and with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to advance education policy and investments that center equity and prioritize quality. Every Illinois student deserves a promising future, and that begins with the choices we make now.  

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About Advance Illinois  
Advance Illinois is an independent policy and advocacy organization working toward a healthy public education system that enables all students to achieve success in college, career, and civic life. Since its founding in 2008, Advance Illinois has become a nationally recognized thought leader in education policy and advocacy.