Contact: 
Bravetta Hassell

communications@advanceillinois.org

CHICAGO (February 15, 2023)—"The Governor’s proposed FY24 budget prioritizes children and families and is a win for student and for Illinois,” says Robin Steans, President of Advance Illinois.

When Governor Pritzker came to office five years ago, he promised to make Illinois the best state in the nation to raise a family, and the investments he proposed today do just that, aiming to: strengthen and grow early learning, maintain forward momentum in public schools, address ongoing teacher shortages, and direct significant new dollars to put higher education in reach for dramatically more students. While there are opportunities for the General Assembly to push for greater equity and sustainability, the Governor’s proposed budget is a win for our state and our young people. 

With the Governor’s announcement of Smart Start Illinois, an ambitious plan to expand access to and deepen investments in Illinois’ early learning and care systems, we join many in this space in applauding the Governor for creating more opportunities for Illinois’ youngest learners and their families. As importantly, the Governor’s plan is rooted in the blueprint set forth by the Commission on Equitable Early Childhood Education and Care Funding and rightly takes a systemic approach – expanding preschool, child care, early intervention, and home visiting, while working to fix issues that must be addressed for our early childhood systems to be equitable and sustainable. Proposed investments of $130 million to stabilize and grow the workforce and increase wages, $100 million in capital spending for child care facilities, and plans to expand more equitable and stable funding mechanisms create the necessary environment to both drive and sustain greater access and quality. If approved, Smart Start Illinois would ensure dramatically more children and families can access quality early learning and care. We applaud the Governor for making good on his commitment to children and families with this thoughtful and comprehensive proposal.  

Over the past three years, every sector of society has been profoundly disrupted by COVID-19. Our schools had to rapidly adapt, student engagement and opportunity suffered, and many Illinois colleges saw their enrollments decline. So we were encouraged this winter when the Illinois Board of Higher Education and the Illinois Community College Board reported that enrollment this past fall was up, with Black and Latinx students driving the growth. The state's historic investment in the need-based Monetary Award Program (MAP) undoubtedly made a difference. Today, the Governor’s bold proposal to invest more deeply in MAP and institutional funding is an acknowledgement that Illinois can and must continue to improve college affordability and access. If approved, the Governor’s proposed $100 million in additional MAP funding would likely allow nearly all community college students and as many as 40% of public university students at or below median income levels to completely cover their tuition and fees with MAP and Pell grants. At a time when economic security increasingly depends on a postsecondary degree, this is powerful! 

In addition, we support the Governor’s recommendation to increase institutional postsecondary funding by 7%—the largest increase in 20 years. New funds are needed to ensure our public universities can better serve their students without increasing tuition. That said, it is critical that new funds prioritize student need.  For the second time, IBHE has recommended that the state use a short-term and more equitable system to allocate any new funds, and we will work with the General Assembly toward that end. 

In K-12, we appreciate the Governor’s continued commitment to closing deep funding inequities at a time when student need not only persists, but has widened in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. A $350 million increase to the Evidence-based Funding (EBF) formula is an important investment in our K-12 system that sends much needed dollars to students and districts that need them the most.  That said, we will work with the General Assembly to do more. Unless we increase our annual investment in the EBF, it will take us at least fifteen years to reach full funding.  That represents an entire generation of students, and that is simply too long.  Voices from the field—from parents to teachers, school district leaders and community members —are right in calling for more. We encourage lawmakers to build on the Governor’s proposal and to advance a budget that increases EBF by an additional $550 million. Investing at this level will move our schools to full funding in half the time, ensuring all students receive a high-quality education, regardless of their zip code.  

Finally, we appreciate the Governor’s commitment to strengthening our educator pipeline. It is terrific and right to deepen the state’s investment in growing and diversifying the state’s pipeline.  We look forward to working with ISBE and with legislators to ensure that new dollars are used in a way that supports high-need districts and invests in proven and sustainable solutions.  Indeed, we applaud the Governor’s proposal to increase the Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) scholarship program – a strategy that is successfully bringing new teachers of color into the profession. An additional $2.8 million will allow hundreds more aspiring teachers to receive financial support– a small investment with an outsized impact. 

Taken together, we celebrate the Governor’s remarkable budget proposal – one that prioritizes children, addresses serious issues comprehensively, and approaches education as the birth to higher education continuum that it is. Said Steans, “this historic budget proposal recognizes that education is the single most important investment our state can make in our children’s future, and in our state’s broader well-being. With the right priorities firmly in place and with some historic ambitions clearly articulated, it is now up to the General Assembly to stay the course for Illinois students and families.  

### 

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. To learn more, visit advanceillinois.org.