Advance Illinois Statement on the Illinois State Board of Education FY24 Budget Recommendation

Today the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) approved and sent to Governor Pritzker recommendations for the FY24 Budget. While Advance Illinois commends ISBE for taking steps to ensure Illinois students, from early childhood through high school, have the care and education they need to thrive and succeed, today’s proposed budget didn’t go far enough.  

ISBE’s proposals of a $350 million increase for Evidence-Based Funding for Illinois’ K-12 and an increase of 10 percent for the state’s early learning and care represent critical investments in our public education system and the students and families it serves. Still, the voices of parents, teachers, school and district leaders, and community members were clear during ISBE’s budget hearings and public comment today; more funding than this is needed to ensure every student has access to high-quality education and care.  

Over the past five years, the Evidence-Based Funding formula has proven to be a successful tool for increasing funding in K-12 schools while driving resources to the most underfunded districts. To date, Illinois has invested nearly $1.6 million in new tier funding and drastically reduced the number of severely underfunded schools in Illinois, becoming a national model in the process.  

Despite the progress that has been made, however, there is still a long way to go. In FY23, over one million students -- half of the state’s students - are still in districts funded below 75% of what they need. If ISBE’s recommendation of a $350 million investment in EBF moves forward, it will take two decades from the passage EBF to fully fund our schools. That’s a departure from the state’s goal to fully fund EBF within 10 years from when the formula passed in 2017. More importantly, for a generation that has been buffeted by unprecedented challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic, it delays a promise the state made to students; their futures won’t wait. Illinois must increase its investment to an annual appropriation of at least $550 million each year to achieve full funding within 10 years.  

In addition, the research is clear—a high-quality early childhood education matters and is directly linked to success later in life. Adequate, equitable state funding for early childhood education and care, as well as for K-12 and higher education, is therefore critically important to Illinois being able to provide such opportunities. It is why Advance Illinois commended the Governor’s Commission on Equitable Early Childhood Education and Care Funding and its recommendations to both better and more equitably fund the entire early childhood education and care system. We know a 10 percent increase in funding for FY24 is simply not enough to make tangible inroads on these recommendations and meet the Governor’s goal of universal pre-kindergarten, closing childcare deserts, creating more equitable, streamlined and strategic funding and governance, and generally becoming the best place in the nation to raise children. Illinois must start building a path towards fully funding early childhood by increasing appropriations by 20 percent for FY24.  

Finally, while we appreciate its work and leadership to date, we were disappointed to see that ISBE proposed no new funds for developing and supporting a quality and diverse education pipeline. Given that Illinois continues to struggle with a teacher shortage in high-need areas and geographies, we know that targeted and stable investments into key programs and areas will help ensure all children and students have access to a prepared and qualified educator.  

We thank ISBE for its work to champion continued investments in Illinois’ students and children through its budget recommendation, and now look ahead to Governor Pritzker’s budget recommendation this February. On the road to learning more about the governor’s priorities for Illinois for FY24, we’re calling on Governor Pritzker to remember his campaign promises and keep our students and children front and center with the level of investment they need and deserve and that our state can well support.