From the Desk—What the Reconciliation Bill Means for Illinois Children, Families, Schools and Communities

On July 4, President Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB), a piece of federal spending legislation that makes significant changes to Medicaid, SNAP, and federal college loan and scholarship programs, the impact of which will be felt in the short term—as is the case with student loan disbursement and repayment conditions—as well as in the long term — like with Medicaid cutbacks, whose impact will unfold over time.

Below, we offer some explanations of the changes and their implications for schools and the students, families, and communities they serve, along with links to additional materials and in-depth coverage. 

1. First, let’s take a look at how OBBB will impact Medicaid access. Over the past 10-15 years, the federal government has worked, largely consistently, to expand access to Medicaid, to make it easier for families to apply, and to simplify schools’ ability to seek reimbursement for medical care provided at or through schools. In an effort to cut costs, the current administration proposed, and OBBB codified, a series of changes to Medicaid they claim will save $911 billion over the next 10 years.  

I imagine it’s obvious to even a casual observer and average math student, that the only way to save $911 billion is to reduce the number of people being served by Medicaid. In fact, experts from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimate that the changes now underway could result in more than 10 million Americans losing coverage over the next 10 years; including anywhere from 270,000 to 500,000 in Illinois alone.  Here are some of the key changes: 

• OBBB imposes significant new work requirements — something that previous administrations had deliberately avoided — in an effort to expand medical coverage. Data suggests that work requirements can in fact save federal dollars, but a pilot program in Georgia revealed that savings derive largely from under-enrollment. That is, the additional complexity created by understanding, complying, and verifying eligibility resulted in just 7,500 of roughly 240,000 eligible Georgia citizens receiving coverage. Worse, the increased paperwork requirements drove costs of enrollment up from an expected $2,490/participant to over $13,000/participant. Notably, a similar work requirement program in Arkansas did not meaningfully increase employment.  

• OBBB adds significant new reporting and verification steps, including requiring participants to verify eligibility every 6 months instead of annually, a change that both depletes time parents can spend with their children and likely will result in people losing coverage for reasons having nothing to do with need. 

• OBBB rescinds eligibility for a significant number of lawful immigrants. Specifically, the bill revokes access for refugees, individuals granted parole for at least one year, individuals granted asylum or related relief, certain abused spouses and children, and certain victims of trafficking. This is a devastating blow to vulnerable populations. Only some lawful immigrants maintain access to Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) under the new law: lawful permanent residents, certain Cuban and Haitian immigrants, and COFA migrants. Children and pregnant adults may still qualify through the Immigrant Children’s Health Improvement Act (ICHIA) only if the state they reside in opts into ICHIA. This provision goes into effect October 1st, 2026.  

You may be wondering what this means for schools and their communities across Illinois. Here are some things to keep in mind: 

• Schools can get reimbursed for various health services provided to students who are enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP programs, and limits on eligibility will impact schools’ abilities to provide these services. Medicaid reimbursements are often used on telehealth, contracted services for mental and/or behavioral health, technology, care coordination and referral services, and Medicaid outreach and enrollment services. These reimbursements allow schools to provide crucial services to children where they spend most of their time—schools. As students lose access to Medicaid and CHIP, schools’ ability to fund important services will be impacted, leaving many students vulnerable.   

• Multiple analyses suggest that rural hospitals will be at greater risk of closing. Why? Rural hospitals serve a large number of Medicaid patients. As those patients lose coverage, the hospitals that serve them will lose reimbursements and/or patient load. Analysts looked at caseloads and prior financial margins to determine which rural hospitals, nationally, will be at risk for closure due to provisions in OBBB. The results identified over 300 rural hospitals across the nation at risk of closure, conversion, or service reductions — severely impacting the communities that rely on them. 9 of these rural hospitals are in Illinois; 5 of the 9 hospitals at risk are top Medicaid providers, and the other 4 have struggled financially.  

• Additional Ripple Effect: Should these hospitals close, clinics and primary care providers who depend on them will also be impacted and/or close. Taken together, the likely impact of Medicaid changes in OBBB will be to limit the services accessible to rural communities, pushing families to travel greater distances for healthcare, or lose out entirely.   

• Special Note: In response to concerns about rural hospitals potentially being forced to close, the final version of the bill creates a special grant program designed to shore up rural hospitals. This will hopefully help institutions withstand additional financial pressure, though it seems worth pointing out that the money set aside for this pot — $50 billion — will no longer get to hospitals by way of providing care for ailing rural residents. 

Next, let’s take a look at how OBBB will affect SNAP. SNAP, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is a federal program that helps low- and no-income people purchase food. Here, too, OBBB seeks to save money by cutting access to this 86-year-old program.  

• OBBB rescinds eligibility for a range of legal immigrants. The same groups of legal immigrants who are losing qualified status for Medicaid will also lose qualified status for SNAP. Refugees, asylum seekers, certain abused spouses and children, and certain victims of trafficking who rely upon the program for food security will be left without aid.  

• Governor Pritzker’s office projects that as many as 360,000 individuals will lose access to some or all SNAP benefits in Illinois. This population includes children and families that need this assistance to survive, and to be healthy and prepared to learn.   

• The bill also expands work requirements for SNAP recipients. The population of individuals subject to the work requirements increases from 190,000 to 450,000. This population includes former foster college students, young adults experiencing homelessness, and families with children ages 14-18.   

• Additional Ripple Effect: Because enrollment in SNAP qualifies families and individuals for auto-enrollment in free and reduced-price lunch programs, loss of SNAP will also complicate the ability of vulnerable families and young people to access other benefits.  

Finally, let’s take a look at how the reconciliation bill will impact student loans for college and postsecondary education. The United States has a history of investing in education. We were one of the first countries to ensure public education for all students through high school, and the U.S. has worked assiduously to provide an array of loan programs designed to remove financial barriers for as many students as possible. As a result, the United States has boasted one of the most educated populations in the world — a factor unquestionably tied to the country’s strong economic presence on the world stage. OBBB represents a stark departure from this tradition. It dismantles key elements of the federal student loan system, increasing financial barriers by eliminating the Grad PLUS loan program and imposing strict annual and lifetime caps on Parent PLUS loans: 

• While Stafford Loans remain, their limits — $20,500 annually and $100,000 lifetime for graduate students — are insufficient to meet the full cost of education. Nearly 45,000 Illinois students benefitted from either a Parent or Grad PLUS loan during the 2023–24 fiscal year, with a total value of $1.16 billion. Parent PLUS loans, now capped at $20,000 annually and $65,000 over a student’s lifetime, will no longer fill gaps for many dependent undergraduates.  

• These shifts will disproportionately impact first-generation students and students of color, along with the institutions that serve them — particularly underfunded public universities like Chicago State University and Northeastern Illinois University, where Parent PLUS usage is highest. While the bill limits some forms of debt, it does so by limiting access without meaningfully improving affordability.  

• According to the most recent Department of Education statistics, 25.9 percent of Black students took out a Parent PLUS while pursuing a bachelor's degree, compared to 12.6 percent of White and 6.9 percent of Asian students. However, the size of the loan was smaller on average.  

• According to the Education Data Initiative, 40 percent of Black students take out loans for graduate school, compared to 22 percent of white students.  

• OBBB also eliminates all existing income-driven repayment (IDR) plans — including ICR, PAYE, REPAYE, and SAVE — and replaces them with a single, inflexible Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP). IDR plans were designed to align monthly payments with income and provide eventual forgiveness, particularly for those in public service and lower-wage sectors.  

  *RAP sets a $10 base monthly payment for all borrowers regardless of income, whereas previous plans did not have monthly requirements for individuals in the lowest income brackets. 

  *However, for those same low-income individuals, the government will ensure that the principal balance decreases by at least $50 each month. That means for borrowers making a $20 monthly payment, the government will remove an additional $30 from the principal.  

  *Forgiveness now takes place after 30 years of payment rather than the 20-25 years under previous plans.   

• Ripple Effect: Removing the previously existing protections transforms student debt into a long-term financial burden, with fewer offramps for those struggling to repay. Rather than reducing the cost of college, the bill codifies its risks—turning student loans into a tool of exclusion rather than advancement. 

In Conclusion….

It is clear the changes are significant and so too will be the impact. All will affect student wellness and well-being and, in turn, academic opportunities and outcomes. As such, it is our responsibility to understand these changes and do all we can to ensure students, particularly those most reliant on public support, have what they need to learn and grow.     

---

NEXT STEPS

• Are you interested in keeping up-to-speed on federal changes in education and early care and their impact on Illinois children, students, and families? Email Jim O’Connor, Project Director, at joconnor [at] advanceillinois [dot] org for more information.

• Would you be willing to share how federal changes - including cuts, rescissions, and freezes - have impacted your work or experiences in education? Complete this survey to share your story.

From the Desk—On the 2025 Spring Legislative Session

A few weeks ago, the spring 2025 session of the 104th General Assembly adjourned amid continued uncertainty about how federal changes might impact Illinois. Although there is still a great deal that we don’t know about what comes next, there are some education wins to celebrate, as well as conversations that must continue. Here, we spotlight some key outcomes and urge stakeholders to keep fighting for the education system our students deserve.    

FY26 Budget Highlights 
As we shared in our initial statement, this General Assembly passed a budget filled with hard choices and took efforts to protect important investments for Illinois children and students. At the same time, the state missed some critical opportunities to shore up progress. As expected, it was a challenging budget year, and increases in education spending were hard fought. That said, the addition of more than $630 million new education dollars in the FY26 budget underscores the degree to which the Governor and General Assembly value and prioritize the education and care of Illinois children and students, even when money is tight. Kudos and appreciation to every organization and individual who worked to remind our leaders about the critical importance of investing in education, including the Funding Illinois’ Future Coalition, the Minority Teachers of Illinois champions, the We, the Village Coalition, and the Coalition for Transforming Higher Education Funding. You made yourselves known, and you were heard!

The state continued to make strong investments in early childhood education and care, with an additional $250 million for programming and $7.5 million more than last year to establish the Illinois Department of Early Childhood (IDEC) as it prepares to administer programs starting in FY27. In a break with historical precedent, the state appropriated just $307 million for the Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) Formula, which is less than the minimum funding level of $350 million, but preserves the statutorily called-for $300 million increase for districts.¹ While it is good news that $300 million will go out to districts in “tier” funding, as planned and promised, the state is going to face some hard choices in the coming year, as it continues to wrestle with budget deficits and federal funding cuts and uncertainty. Because the hard reality remains: if we truly aspire to reach full funding before another generation of students graduate, we must increase the pace of investment. This is especially true given the ongoing underfunding of mandated categoricals – funding that supports required programming and costs. As proration of that funding worsens, it puts pressure on district budgets and forces them to divert other funds, like EBF, away from their intended purpose.  

Higher education also faces real needs, and appropriations also broke from the norm. Specifically, FY26 appropriations to universities and community colleges were split, with some increases coming right away (1-1.5%), and additional increases (2%) held in a reserve fund for the Governor to release as needed and depending on federal actions. The total increase could be as high as 3%, if the Governor releases all the funds, but this structure both underfunds what is needed, and makes it difficult for universities and community colleges to plan for the year ahead. We both understand the pressures that may have led to this structure, but hope the Governor will promptly make clear his intention to direct the funds out, and caution the state against such measures going forward. 

Legislative Highlights   

The education bills that passed both houses of the General Assembly include legislation that will strengthen the educator pipeline, address barriers to learning, and improve education data infrastructure and transparency. 

Successful bills that address the educator pipeline include: HB3446, which will help clarify the early childhood education coursework that counts toward credentials and degrees, and SB1947, which addresses the pipeline in several ways: adding a content test requirement for out of state applicants seeking reciprocity as they apply for Illinois educator licensure, removing content testing licensure requirements for all support personnel (such as social workers and counselors) if they already hold a professional license in their field, and introducing a process for Illinois to develop and pilot its own teacher performance assessment. In addition, SB0028 will allow each district’s joint committee to decide whether to include student growth in teacher evaluations, after a study indicated that the requirement to include a student growth component was not having the desired effect on overall evaluations. Critically, the General Assembly ensured we maintain efforts to support new teachers during their crucial first years in the classroom. As we have said consistently, there is no single solution to strengthening the educator pipeline, so we appreciate that the state continues to take a hard look at the system as a whole – from recruitment to retention – and keeps adjusting and tightening to maintain a high bar for quality, even as it expands access.    

This spring, lawmakers also passed bills that remove barriers and increase access to education across the entire birth through postsecondary education continuum.  

• In early childhood, HB3327 will help infants born prematurely get connected to early intervention services before they even leave the hospital.  

• Importantly, the passage of the Safe Schools for All Act (HB3247) ensures that all students and families have access to public education regardless of immigration status and protects the integrity of the classroom environment from enforcement actions.  

• Generally, K-12 students are missing far too much school. SB407 establishes a Chronic Absence Task Force to study the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on chronic absenteeism and to support the development of a state strategy to help more students get back into school every day.  

• Access to postsecondary education remains out of reach for too many Illinoisians, so two bills address college and university access:  HB3522 establishes a statewide direct admissions initiative to proactively offer college admission to Illinois high school students & community college transfer students based on GPA or credits earned, and SB1958 requires public universities to enter formal articulation agreements at the request of community colleges to promote transparency, equity, and seamless credit transfer, making it easier and faster for students to earn a bachelor’s degree after completing an associate degree.  

And while it may not be as eye-catching, lawmakers also acted this spring to strengthen the state’s education data infrastructure and transparency.  

• SB406 establishes an Early Childhood Integrated Data System (ECIDS) to enable the newly formed Illinois Department of Early Childhood to make equity driven, inclusive, and data-informed decisions. Through this legislation, the department must also develop tools for parents and communities to access aggregated data from the ECIDS system and must ensure that the system is designed and maintained to allow for data integration and sharing with other state agencies and other entities that maintain state data.   

• On the other end of the education continuum, SB2039 requires Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE), Illinois Community College Board (ICCB), and Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) to develop a centralized, public-facing dashboard of institutional data to support better policy decisions and equity outcomes. Both of these developments are significant steps forward toward a more transparent and equitable education system in Illinois, and we can’t wait to use the dashboards and tools when they are available!

Looking Forward: There's more to do! 

While there is much to celebrate, there were substantive legislative proposals that did not make it across the finish line this spring – and we look forward to continuing to work with you on these as the 104th continues in the fall and next spring.  

By way of example, HB1375, a bill creating a stipend for student teachers, stalled in the Senate, after passing the House. The bill is designed to (a) provide stipends to student teachers, to reduce financial barriers into the profession, and (b) provide stipends and training to cooperating teachers to strengthen this critical role. As the state continues to grapple with ongoing shortages of fully qualified teachers, we cannot afford to miss clear opportunities to make the teaching profession more supportive, accessible, and attractive for aspiring educators.  

On another front, when the Commission on Equitable Public University Funding released its recommendations for advancing a healthier, more accessible public university system last spring, Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford and Representative Carol Ammons got to work. The Adequate and Equitable Public University Funding bill, which provides increased state funding for all Illinois public universities and directs state funds most heavily to the universities furthest from adequacy, was formally introduced this spring, and with considerable collaboration by universities and communities, gained significant traction across the state. While lawmakers have not yet taken action to adopt the funding formula, we cannot ‘unlearn’ what we now know: (1) that many of our public universities are woefully underfunded, lacking the resources they need to ensure all students earn degrees, and (2) that some institutions are in much worse financial position than others. We cannot keep doing what we have been doing, so it is powerful that we have found a better way — one that will result in more than 122,000 additional graduates contributing to our local and state prosperity and progress, once the bill is passed and fully funded. It is time to make this a reality.  

With higher education under significant new pressure at the federal level, it is critical that the state act to support our community colleges and universities. We appreciate that this session provided multiple opportunities to reimagine the postsecondary landscape, be it through funding reform, stronger articulation and enrollment, or targeted strategies to create baccalaureate pathways via community colleges. The time for action is now.

Conclusion   

Despite very real budget challenges and federal uncertainty, Illinois took some important actions this spring. That said, we are not done.  Looking ahead, even more will be required as we learn how changes in Washington, DC will impact Illinois – fiscally and otherwise. In every challenge there is opportunity, and ours is this: We can and must work together to ensure that all students and their families are safe, supported, and have access to a strong and healthy education system. Let us take this moment to re-commit ourselves to the work ahead – it has never been more important.   

 In partnership,    

Robin 

1. The $43 million reduction came out of dollars that otherwise would have funded the FY26 Property Tax Relief Grant fund, a program that encourages and supports communities to lower property taxes by replacing lost property tax revenue (due to reductions) with state funding.

From the Desk—Reflecting on Progress in 2024

What a year this has been! While there have been challenges, including a tight budget, we are grateful that 2024 also brought real progress. As we look ahead to 2025, knowing we face another tough budget year and plenty of changes and challenges, the progress made in 2024 reminds us that positive impact is not only possible, but essential. There is, of course, more work to do, but it is important to pause and appreciate where we have taken important steps, seen meaningful growth, and tackled deep-seated and difficult issues. Then, fortified by the knowledge that we can accomplish hard things when we put our minds to it, we can ready ourselves for the next push. 

In Early Childhood, A New Agency and a New Leader! 

2024 is the year that Illinois created the Illinois Department of Early Childhood (IDEC), a move that allows the state for the first time to bring together programs that have been managed across three agencies – a move that in turn creates the opportunity to ensure that programs and policies are fairer, more effective, and easier to navigate for both families and providers. Of course, it requires serious focus and visionary leadership to take full advantage of this opportunity. So it is fortunate indeed that the Governor has appointed Dr. Teresa Ramos as the founding Secretary of IDEC. As First Assistant Deputy Governor for Education, Dr. Ramos has been integrally involved in IDEC’s development. A longstanding education advocate (including as Outreach Director for Advance Illinois!), she is committed to working closely with parents, community leaders, providers, and those with technical expertise as the emerging agency shapes key new strategies to strengthen Illinois’ system of early childhood education and care.  

We look forward to partnering with Dr. Ramos and IDEC in 2025 and beyond, and will continue to prioritize core recommendations from the Governor’s Early Childhood Funding Commission. These include stable and coordinated funding mechanisms to support high-quality programs, improved system-wide data and analytic capacity to inform programs and policy, and targeted work to retain, recruit and fairly compensate a qualified and diverse ECEC workforce. Importantly, the state has already made meaningful headway on these critical goals. You can read more about the good work already underway in our recent ECEC publication.  

K12: Signs of Progress, Areas for Improvement 

Along with the rest of the country (and world), Illinois students continue to recover from the impacts of COVID 19 and significant educational and community disruptions.  So it was encouraging that the 2024 Illinois School Report Card included news that Illinois students demonstrated academic proficiency that exceeded pre-pandemic levels in English Language Arts, that kindergarten readiness in the state is steadily increasing, that high school graduation rates continue to improve (especially among Black students), and that college-enrollment is ticking back up.  That is all worth cheering, and suggests that dedicated, hard work at the local level is making a difference, as is ongoing investment in the state’s equitable school funding formula. At the same time, other data reminds us of the work ahead. The state continues to wrestle with significant equity gaps, math proficiency has not yet rebounded, nor has college readiness, as reflected in SAT scores. As importantly, chronic absenteeism rates – powerful predictors of longer-term persistence and achievement - remain troublingly high, particularly for targeted student groups.  

At long last...A Serious Blueprint for Adequate, Equitable, and Sustainable Funding for Illinois’ Public Universities 

This year, after more than 2 years of analysis, research and discussion, the Commission on Equitable Public University Funding concluded its work with strong, actionable recommendations for a better way to fund the state’s public universities. As the Senate and House convened hearings on the Commission’s findings, there was a growing and clear consensus that the state’s current funding approach cannot continue; that it is time to move away from a system that does not consider student or institutional need, that is not connected to any state priorities, and is driven largely by politics. Today, SB3965 and HB5907, which operationalize the Commission’s recommendations, have been filed, and higher education leaders and legislators are actively negotiating a final package. We fully expect the General Assembly to take up this critical issue in the coming session, but it is worth pausing to celebrate that for first time, Illinois has a clear roadmap for how to better support students and universities, and to ensure that sufficient funding follows student need. The state now has a ground-breaking model that is (1) anchored in adequacy and equity, (2) with a distribution methodology that acknowledges the diverse needs of students and the specific missions of universities, and (3) prioritizes new dollars for institutions with the least resources while ensuring all institutions benefit.  

Also on the higher education front, we can and should celebrate that the state continues to grow the Monetary Award Program (MAP), appropriating at a level that allows all applicants to receive awards, even as it has enabled the state to increase average award amounts.  That said, MAP still covers just 55% of average tuition and fees at a four-year public university, compared to 100% coverage in the early 2000s, and Illinois remains one of the least affordable states in the nation to attend college. So the work continues. (And it is worth noting that fixing the state’s public university funding will also help keep tuition rates down.) 

Supporting and Strengthening Our Educator Pipeline 

Illinois has been building a comprehensive and evidence-based set of strategies to strengthen and grow the state’s educator pipeline. These efforts include a new media campaign to attract the next generation of teachers, investment in new teacher mentoring and coaching, and ongoing work to remove financial barriers for student teachers, bilingual teachers, special education teachers, and aspiring teachers of color. The result? Illinois continues to see increased enrollment in teacher preparation programs and a more diverse set of candidates. Federal stimulus dollars have bolstered these efforts, but in 2024 the state wisely chose to use state dollars to continue key programs, such as the Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity (ECACE) and teacher affinity groups. We hope the state will continue to invest in these and other critical pipeline programs, particularly as demand for effective and diverse educators increases. 

In addition to creating and growing relevant programs, the state took important steps this year to reflect on and revisit key elements of our teacher licensure and evaluation systems. We commend ISBE and the General Assembly for evaluating and seeking to continuously improve these critical systems, which are in place to ensure our educators are effective and well-supported. 

Sadly, 2024 also brought some challenges. This year, after several years of historic increases in funding to the Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) Scholarship, a 32-year program and one of numerous key investments the state has been making to strengthen and diversify its teaching pool, MTI has come under legal attack. 

The lawsuit against MTI alleges discrimination on the basis of race, as the scholarship is limited to teacher candidates of color. The challenge to this longstanding and effective program is misguided, missing the critical point that this scholarship supplements many other programs, and, more importantly, is targeted to address research-based student need. Put simply, Illinois continues to work to undo systemic injustice and to ensure that students of color are given the tools they need to achieve and succeed at the same rate as their peers. Decades of research tells us that students of color do better across a range of outcomes when they have a teacher of color at some point during their schooling. To address this, Illinois launched MTI, making scholarships available to aspiring teachers of color in exchange for those teachers teaching in schools with 30% or more students of color.  Discontinuing a strategy grounded in evidence to improve student outcomes is in opposition to our state and our children’s best interests. Accordingly, we expect strong support for HR0942 and SR1303 affirming the state’s compelling interest in maintaining this critical program. 

In Conclusion... 

Illinois seeks to become the greatest state in the nation to raise a child, and we are working to implement strong, forward-looking, student-centered policies and vision. Consider the transformative change in K-12 education spurred by Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) reform, this year’s massive governance shift in early childhood, and proposals on the table to bring adequacy and equity to the forefront in Higher Education in ways no other state has attempted. We have proven over and over again that when we come together to think boldly, and when we keep students and children at the center, we can and do accomplish important things. On to 2025! 

From the Desk—Back to School 2024: What the School Year Holds, and What We’re Watching

Back-to-school season is a busy and exciting time for families and students across the state. The energy in the air is palpable – and policy leaders are feeling it, too, with big changes underway this fall in early childhood education and care, and as the state considers whether a new funding system is on the horizon for higher education. Here’s what we are watching and working on this fall! 

The New Illinois Department of Early Childhood:  A First Step toward Transformational Change 
As of July 1, 2024, Illinois has a stand-alone, integrated Department of Early Childhood (IDEC)! It was wonderful to pause over the summer to celebrate this accomplishment – one of several critical recommendations from the 2021 Illinois Commision on Equitable Early Childhood Education and Care Task Force! As the new school year begins, the state has less than two years of transition time to tackle other essential Commission recommendations: (1) that Illinois move toward more adequate and equitable funding overall, (2) that it adopt new funding mechanisms that make it easier for families and providers to access and navigate the system, (3) that we grow the pipeline into the profession while improving wages and benefits, and (4) that we improve data collection and develop relevant, annual reports that help inform practice and policy.  While the search for a permanent IDEC Secretary is underway, the transition moves forward under Transition Director, Ann Whalen, and Acting Secretary, Irma Martinez Snopek, with regional listening sessions continuing through September and new Transition Workgroups starting up.   

As a member of the Transition Advisory Committee, we will be following along and paying close attention to all developments. If you are interested in getting involved, all Transition Advisory Committee working groups are now public, and we invite you to listen in and share your perspective on what transformational change can look like within the new agency. The meeting schedule is posted on IDEC’s new website. 

K-12: Consistency is Key, but Is It Enough to Sustain Recovery? 
It seems hard to believe, but we just passed the 7-year anniversary of the Evidence-Based Funding for Student Success Act. The funds that have flowed through EBF have made a tremendous difference across the state, and in conjunction with federal relief dollars, contributed to districts’ ability to respond to the pandemic. As we look toward the 2024 Illinois Report Card, we hope and expect to see progress on learning outcomes. Indeed, we are heartened by findings from IWERC’s learning renewal reports.  As one might expect, the reports show that schools that were low-performing and less well-funded going into the pandemic were the most deeply impacted by COVID disruptions (i.e., saw the steepest academic declines). However, the study also reveals that these districts have been making the fastest recovery. That is heartening news, though it is important to note that the same data make clear that we are not yet fully recovered. As importantly, even when we have once again reached pre-pandemic performance, student outcomes will still be far from where they need to be, and ongoing gaps by race, income, language and more remain significant. So as districts see ESSER funds disappear this year, and grapple with the impact of a projected ~$500M decline in local revenues through the Corporate Personal Property Replacement Tax (CPPRT), EBF is more important than ever. If our goal is learning ‘renewal’, not just ‘recovery’, we need to dig deep and find the dollars it takes. 

Higher Education: On the Path to Adequate and Equitable Funding 
At a special press conference and roundtable event this July, Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford, joined by her colleague, Rep. Carol Ammons, announced the filing of SB3965 (Adequate & Equitable Funding Formula for Public Universities), a bill that brings to life the Recommendations of the Illinois Commission on Equitable Higher Education Funding. The recommendations are the product of over two years of dedicated investigation, discussion, research, data analysis, modeling, and more – a process that created a blueprint for how Illinois can reimagine the way it funds public universities. The bill introduces a groundbreaking student-centered, adequacy-based public university funding formula to replace the outdated, politically-driven process. This new formula is focused on what universities need to support student success – adjusting funding based on deep and persistent equity gaps and designed to support each university’s unique mission. Importantly, the bill calls for new funding to close longstanding and significant statewide funding gaps, and while all universities get new dollars, the formula ensures that institutions furthest from adequacy are prioritized to accelerate them toward full funding.  SB3965 also includes a robust framework for accountability and transparency, ensuring new investments support students and advance state goals. Having served on the Commission, I am thrilled to support this equitable approach to university funding, accountability, and transparency. Further, we are delighted that the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) has launched an Adequacy and Equity in Community College Funding Working Group to examine how the state’s two-year colleges might also re-think the funding and supports so essential to the thousands of students who enroll each year. The need is clear on all fronts, the energy and momentum are building, and we look forward to making concrete progress in the coming year. 

Two Additional Things We're Excited About This Fall 
COVID shined a light on the need for Illinois to develop a truly systemic approach to student mental health and well-being. The Resilience-Supportive Schools Roadmap represents an important step in the right direction. The Roadmap builds on the Resilience Education to Advance Community Healing (REACH) pilot and the Social-Emotional Learning Hubs, offering a guide for schools and districts to self-assess where they are in becoming trauma-informed, and resources they can use to develop stronger supports, programs and systems to address student mental health and well-being. These quality resources, together with a coherent and overarching structure, can and should be a game changer for countless students and communities across our state.  

We are also excited that The Illinois State Board of Education has launched “The Answer is Teaching” campaign. The campaign is designed to elevate the teaching profession and recruit new teachers, and by all accounts it is off to a strong start. We’ve heard radio ads and seen highway billboards directing us to “See What Makes Teaching a Great Job - ISBE (becomeateacher.com).”  We especially love the messaging around teaching as a career that lets you impact the lives of students (and your own!) and lead in your community. On top of that, the simple, straightforward portal helps future teachers take the next step – and over 2,000 people have done just that! And we’re glad to see the specific call outs to areas of greatest need: rural and urban public schools, special education and bilingual classrooms. Teaching is a challenging, intellectual, dynamic, high-impact profession, but it isn’t always seen that way. We hope the campaign will uplift the profession and inspire and connect the next generation of classroom leaders to enter the field of education and start making a difference! 

In Conclusion... 
There is a lot of important work underway in Illinois, and more to come. Whether it is finding a way to give student teachers stipends, or building a stronger pipeline into school counseling, nursing, psychology, or social work, Illinois has proven that it is willing to innovate and to take action to prioritize our children. Indeed, we have become a national leader on many fronts. Here is to another year of focus and achievement, in the classroom and in the statehouse. 

From The Desk—On the 2024 Spring Legislative Session: New Beginnings and Important Work Ahead

Last week, the Spring Session of the 103rd General Assembly adjourned, and there are wins to celebrate and opportunities to discuss! Early childhood education was a clear area of focus for lawmakers this session. The state now has a dedicated Department of Early Childhood (SB1), and the Governor’s Smart Start program continues to grow and deepen. But while there is much to celebrate in early childhood, Illinois missed some key opportunities in the K-12 and educator pipeline spaces, both legislatively and budgetarily, and much work remains before Illinois has adequate, equitable, and stable funding for higher education. Below we spotlight some key outcomes, and urge stakeholders to keep fighting for the education system our students deserve.   
 
FY25 Budget Implications 
As we shared in our initial statement, the FY25 budget addresses some major educational priorities, even as it left some important work undone. As expected, it was a challenging budget year, and increases to education spending overall did not keep pace with FY24. That said, the FY25 budget makes plain that the Governor and General Assembly continue to prioritize education.  More than $700 million new education dollars were added to the budget, and a huge shout out to the Funding Illinois’ Future Coalition, the Minority Teachers of Illinois champions, the We, The Village Coalition, the Coalition for Transforming Higher Education Funding, and the many advocates who raised their voices to keep these priorities top of mind for lawmakers throughout the session!  

One challenge posed in this year’s budget was the looming expiration of federal ESSER dollars, which have been used to fund programs to support students in the wake of COVID, but also to address longstanding issues. Budget deliberations this year marked the first set of tough decisions regarding which programs to continue (or not) with state funds.  

ESSER funds are not just leaving state coffers, but district purses, too, all while student outcomes still languish below pre-pandemic levels. Addressing ongoing challenges requires substantial investments in districts. While we are glad to see funds for EBF increase another year and appreciate the General Assembly honoring the state’s commitment to a minimum increase of $350 million, we are disappointed to see another year go by without a more substantial $550 million increase. If we aspire to reach full funding before another generation of students graduates, and if we are serious about redressing the impact of profound school disruptions, and if we want to acknowledge the reality that a skipped year of EBF (in FY21) and inflation have challenged school budgets, then we must work that much harder to increase the pace of investment.  

Relatedly, it is good to see increased funding of $32.7 million in mandated categoricals, which provide support for critical K-12 expenses outside of EBF.  That said, the increase was below what ISBE requested, and most of these categoricals remain significantly prorated. Underfunding of these line items places yet another strain on districts' budgets, and forces districts to divert other sources of funds, like EBF dollars, to cover essential costs like transportation and special education services. Put differently, when we shortchange these categoricals, it erodes the positive impact of EBF. Moving forward, this is an area for attention and action. In a bright spot, however, the General Assembly took action to ensure that reimbursements for high-cost special education services will be equally accessible to districts that place students in public settings as in private (previously, reimbursements were significantly higher for students placed in private settings). 
 
Legislative Highlights  

The General Assembly managed an extraordinary volume of education-related bills this year.  Here are a few highlights:     

Forward-looking Structural Changes in Early Childhood 

The establishment of a new Department of Early Childhood (SB1) sets Illinois up for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to re-imagine its system of early childhood programs and services so that the state can better meet the needs of families and communities. The bill wisely sets up a two-year transition period for planning and infrastructure development. Programs and services will remain at their legacy agencies until July 1, 2026, allowing the transition team to engage thoughtfully with stakeholders – families, providers, and agencies - on how best to improve the current system. 

In another important structural change, language in the Budget Implementation Bill (also known as the BIMP) updates the Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity (ECACE) Act and codifies the ECACE scholarship. The Consortium was established to dramatically grow and upskill the early childhood workforce – an effort that is essential to growing and strengthening access to early learning. ECACE is a collective of 62 Illinois higher education institutions working together to increase access, persistence, and completion of credentials and degrees for the early childhood workforce. The scholarship provides direct and essential financial support to members of the incumbent early childhood education workforce who are seeking additional degrees and credentials to improve their practice and earning power.  While the appropriation for the scholarship was much smaller than hoped for or needed, the scholarship’s addition to statute sets this critical work up for longer-term sustainability.  

Support for the Educator Pipeline 

Session began with a flurry of bills aimed at addressing educator shortages, and Speaker Emmanuel “Chris” Welch even formed a working group of legislators to attend to the issue. As the session gaveled to a close, however, only a few bills passed both chambers. HB5057 makes three relevant changes: adjusting the timing of the content test requirement such that teachers must pass it prior to licensure rather than prior to student teaching; taking steps towards allowing composite scoring or ‘super scoring’ on content tests (to allow candidates to combine their highest subsection scores earned across multiple takes); and extending the sunset on the Performance Evaluation Advisory Committee, ensuring that the committee can absorb and discuss findings from an evaluation of Illinois’ teacher evaluation system that has been over a year in the making. SB463 also passed both chambers, making technical changes that allow teachers with renewable CTE licenses to be eligible for tenure, and extending the Teacher Performance Assessment Task Force, to give the group more time to complete its recommendations. 

At the same time, there were also some missed opportunities. If passed, HB5455 would have allowed community colleges to apply to offer post-baccalaureate initial licensure programs, increasing availability and affordability to programs statewide.  We are also disappointed that a bill designed to better support our state’s student teachers stalled in the Senate, after passing the House by wide margins. HB4652 proposed to create a program that would (a) provide stipends to student teachers, reducing inequitable financial barriers into the profession, and (b) provide stipends and training to cooperating teachers to strengthen this critical role. There was a tremendous amount of energy around this bill this session, and we are confident the conversation about how we can best support student teachers will continue. 

These developments come as the state continues to grapple with ongoing shortages, and with the need to better support teachers who are being moved into classrooms on provisional licenses or short-term approvals. In a world where support for new teachers and principals is at an all-time high, it was disappointing that new teacher and principal mentoring, vital programs started with ESSER funds that directly target teacher retention issues that persist in our pipeline did not receive any state funds this year. We know state leaders care about developing a world-class educator pipeline, and we hope that ISBE can and will find ways to keep these critical programs. 

Adequate, Equitable and Stable Higher Education Funding  

In a lean budget year, the state made more modest headway in expanding investment in higher education. State support for Illinois’ signature need-based financial aid program (Monetary Assistance Program) grew by a spare 1%, though projections suggest that will allow the state to meet all need and even increase annual awards a bit. Investment in public universities and community colleges increased by 2%. This more subdued increase likely reflects both budget realities, and the fact that the state has not yet adopted a funding formula that recognizes what each institution needs in order to fairly support its mission and its unique student population. This spring, the Commission on Equitable Public University Funding released a powerful blueprint for reimagining how Illinois funds its universities. Importantly, the report spurred robust subject matter hearings in both the Senate and the House, and we expect a bill to be filed and negotiated. Over the next several months we stand ready to dig in with partners, students, civil rights organizations, and higher education stakeholders from across the state to move forward with urgency and deliberation. As even those who benefit most from the status quo have acknowledged, we simply cannot continue to fund higher education the way we do now – without an understanding of what institutions and students need, and without a way to direct new dollars where they are needed most. 

Conclusion  

All told, this session was marked by a budget that reflected and prioritized students and by some significant legislative changes that set us up for a better future, especially in early childhood.  It is worth pausing to appreciate all those involved in these accomplishments, and worth celebrating the General Assembly’s efforts to continue supporting the next generation, despite very real fiscal pressures. Nonetheless, it is clear that much work remains, and we cannot rest.  Looking ahead, even more will be required of us as we struggle to move from recovery to renewal and face ongoing budget realities.  We must work together to keep students and all those who support, educate, and inspire them as our top priority.  Let us take this opportunity to re-commit ourselves to the important work ahead.  

In partnership,   

Robin 

FY25 Illinois Statement Budget: How Education in Our State Fared
View the following budget area infographics from early childhood to higher education.