Advance Illinois Statement Regarding the FY26 State Budget

Recent and pending federal policy actions are impacting education access and complicating Illinois’ fiscal decision-making for FY26. In the teeth of significant uncertainty, the Illinois General Assembly passed a budget filled with hard choices; one that takes efforts to protect important investments for Illinois children and students, even as it misses key opportunities to double down on progress the state has made to improve quality and access. 

“We recognize and appreciate the efforts the Governor and lawmakers have made to protect public education, but hope we can and will find ways to further strengthen support for early childhood, K12, and higher education,” said Robin Steans, president of Advance Illinois. 

Supporting Our Youngest Learners 

Our state has long acknowledged the importance of a strong start for young children in Illinois, so we commend the General Assembly’s continued commitment to investing in early childhood education and care for FY26. Increases to the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) ($75M) and the Smart Start Workforce Grants ($90M) to replace expiring federal relief help support program affordability, workforce retention, and quality care – all of which are crucial to a strong system. 

That said, there were some notable budget casualties. The Early Childhood Block Grant (ECBG) received insufficient funding to expand Preschool for All and Prevention Initiative programs, undermining the state’s goal to provide universal preschool to all 3- and 4-year-olds by 2027. At the same time, level funding for the Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity (ECACE) scholarship program fails to meet growing workforce demands and provide the critical support needed to help future early childhood educators complete their degrees; Five million dollars is simply not enough to address shortages in providers and stave off the negative implications for children and families when well-prepared providers are unavailable. 

As federal support wanes and the new Illinois Department of Early Childhood continues to take shape, sustained and increased state investments remain critical to ensuring all young children in Illinois have access to the care and education they need to thrive. 

Funding Concerns for K-12 Schools 

In what was anticipated to be a tough fiscal environment, we appreciate the difficult choices lawmakers confronted when considering support for Illinois’ public k-12 student and schools. First, we applaud the state for maintaining funding for critical systemic mental health supports in the form of the REACH pilot and SEL hubs. Every data point we have reminds us that students in every corner of the state are struggling, so while a larger investment is needed, this ongoing investment is as compassionate as it is critical. 

As for the big picture, at $307M, the investment into the Evidence-Based Funding Formula (EBF) provides important and vital support to school districts, though it foregoes opportunities to reduce local property taxes and falls below the minimum funding called for in statute. When EBF was first signed into law in 2017, 169 school districts were funded at 60% or below full funding. Today, just 1 district is. But over 1.3 million students still attend schools in underfunded districts – districts that are disproportionately rural and urban and that serve students from low-income households, English language learners, and Black and Latinx students. Further, the fact that all Mandated Categoricals (except those statutorily required to be funded at 100%) will be held at level funding for FY26 means districts face increased proration and growing budget gaps. This in turn means EBF funds will likely be used to backfill mandates, rather than addressing critical gaps. Therefore, while we applaud efforts to maintain EBF increases, the hard truth is that we have work to do here. 

Ensuring Quality by Supporting Our Educators 

Given how fundamental a diverse, well-supported, and well-prepared teacher workforce is to driving student growth and achievement, we are pleased that several critical programs were included in the final budget. We are also pleased to see ongoing or increased support for key strategies that allow Illinois to grow and strengthen its educator pipeline. Investments in teacher coaching and mentoring ($5M) help support retention of early career educators and new school leaders and are the type of state-level investments Illinois should continue to prioritize. An increase of $4M in Grow Your Own helps expand and diversify the educator pipeline, especially for male candidates. Further, we are heartened to see maintained funding for programs such as Golden Apple, Teach for America, and Affinity Groups in FY26. These programs play an important role in the state’s strategy to recruit, prepare, and support excellent and diverse teachers for Illinois students. We hope these programs will be sustained and expanded in future budget cycles.  

Finally, we appreciate the $8M investment in the Minority Teachers of Illinois scholarship program.  Though the program remains the subject of an ongoing lawsuit and a bill creating an alternative Teachers of Illinois Scholarship was introduced and passed the House over the weekend, we appreciate the state's ongoing commitment to growing our pipeline and doing so in a way that clears a path for a wide range of candidates. 

Supporting Our Colleges and Universities 

Illinois’ long-term prosperity depends on making postsecondary opportunity more affordable for all. So while we commend the state for increasing investment in our community colleges and public universities, the respective 1.5% and 1% increases from last year fall significantly short of what our institutions need to operate and serve students to and through their college journey. Thanks to the work of the Commission on Equitable Public University Funding, Illinois now knows just how much investment each of our public universities needs to fulfill their unique missions and support their unique student bodies. This proposed budget falls far short of what is needed, nor did legislators take action this Spring to adopt a university funding formula that would ensure growth into the future. This is an area for further effort if and when the General Assembly reconvenes later this year. 

We hope, too, that the General Assembly will work to further increase support for the Monetary Award Program (MAP), if and when it has an opportunity. The $10M increase approved this weekend is better than no increase in this tough budget year, but according to ISAC data, will not be enough to cover all anticipated qualified applicants. Moreover, recent federal actions changing financial aid requirements and terms for prospective borrowers means state efforts to ensure college access are more important than ever. 

Final Thoughts 

This session, the General Assembly had a challenging task in passing a budget that both recognized financial realities on the ground and anticipated significant fiscal changes ahead at the federal level. We commend our lawmakers and the governor for the steps they’ve taken to sustain critical areas of work and progress, and for remaining true to Illinois values and priorities. We commit ourselves to working with other advocates and officials to see what more can be done in the months ahead to further strengthen educational opportunities and outcomes for Illinois children, students, and families. 

Advance Illinois Statement on Governor Pritzker’s FY26 Budget Proposal

In the face of a budget deficit and an environment of challenge and great uncertainty at the federal level, we recognize the difficult decisions that leaders are facing and appreciate the Governor’s focus on fiscal responsibility and stability, which help anchor progress over time. Today’s proposal by the Governor represents a restrained but ongoing commitment to Illinois’ education system and the children, students, and families it serves. That said, we are honor-bound to address important remaining needs and gaps. 

"While we understand the complexities of this year’s environment and recognize the Governor's commitment to young children and students, we hope the General Assembly will build on this proposal to sustain the educational progress the state has made to ensure our students can thrive,” said Robin Steans, President of Advance Illinois. 

It is good news that the Governor remains committed to the Evidence-Based Funding formula (EBF), and we are pleased to see some modest increased investments across the B-20 continuum. That said, the proposal leaves some important gaps and needs unaddressed. Were the proposed budget to pass unchanged, it would challenge Illinois’ ability to support every child and student and maintain the steady progress the state has made toward a system of equitable, high-quality education. We cannot let up on strong investments now.  

On Proposals for Illinois’ Early Childhood System 

We applaud the Governor’s recommendation of $160 million to meet the growing demand for the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), the increase of $10 million in Early Intervention to support rate enhancements for providers (though more is needed), and his continued support for the new Illinois Department of Early Childhood (IDEC) with a $7 million increase. Unfortunately, the Governor’s recommendation pauses new investments in the Early Childhood Block Grant (ECBG), which would limit the state’s ability to expand and improve quality for Preschool for All programs and prevention initiative, programs necessary to ensure our youngest learners are prepared to be successful in kindergarten and beyond.  

We are delighted that the Governor is recommending a $90 million increase in the Smart Start Workforce Grants to replace expired federal covid relief funding. Unfortunately, the Governor’s recommendation misses a critical opportunity to meet extremely high demand for the Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity (ECACE ) scholarship program that helps grow the ECEC workforce. With the current $5 million appropriation, just 666 students received the scholarship this year, leaving out roughly 2,300 educators who applied, and limiting the state’s ability to grow the workforce fundamental to Illinois’ system of care and education for its youngest learners. 

Needs for Our Educator Workforce 

Over the last five years, the state has worked hard to invest in programs that build a stronger, more diverse teacher pipeline. While the Governor recommends level funding for key scholarship programs like ECACE, the budget fails to include essential teacher and principal mentoring programs. These programs, established with ESSER funds, cannot survive without state support, leaving new educators without crucial early career supports – supports that have been shown to increase effectiveness and retention. Worse still, if we cut these programs now to help balance this year’s budget, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to rebuild the program once we’ve lost the infrastructure. This pattern of stopping and starting key programs is neither good for educators nor the state.

K-12 Funding – Evidence Based Funding Formula 

The Governor’s proposed $350 million increase in Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) for Illinois schools represents a continued commitment to more fully and equitably funding our K-12 system. We acknowledge and appreciate the significance, even as we know that our students need more.  The 2024 Nation’s Report Card (NAEP) scores provide evidence for this need, with the gap between the lowest-performing and top-performing students in Illinois in reading and math persisting and even widening; more of our state’s attention is needed. EBF plays a critical role in Illinois’ ability to interrupt this trajectory by directing new resources to the school districts and students that need them most.   

And while EBF investment is needed, its impact would be diminished by the increased proration of Mandated Categoricals proposed in this budget. These are key funding streams that reimburse districts for required expenses such as transportation, special education services, and school meals. Several of these programs have been underfunded for years – the Governor’s proposal would take the overall underfunding of these programs from approximately $380 million in FY25 to nearly $550 million in FY26. This means districts will have to use EBF dollars in order to continue funding these mandatory services – effectively reducing the impact of EBF increases.  

Supporting the Needs of the Whole Child 

Our schools will also be directly impacted by reductions to programs that foster healing-centered, trauma-informed practices in schools. While the budget proposes the same total state investments in REACH and SEL Hubs for FY26, these programs currently leverage both federal and state dollars, but will need to rely solely on state funds moving forward. REACH, in particular, supports schools across the entire state and simply cannot continue at scale without additional funding. Thanks to the smart investments we have made in REACH and SEL Hubs over the past several years, Illinois is on a path to more systemic mental health and well-being programs for students and families. Now is not the time to reduce these critical services for schools.  

Proposed Investments for Higher Education 

Although we applaud the administration's continued support of the Monetary Award Program (MAP), the proposed increase of $10M is not enough to ensure that all students have access to an affordable postsecondary pathway. College affordability remains the number one barrier to postsecondary enrollment and completion – and at the current rate it is unlikely that all eligible applicants will continue receiving a grant. This will further exacerbate financial burdens for students across the state, effectively pricing out more students at a time when postsecondary degrees are increasingly important in employment and earning a living wage. On the institutional side, the Govenor proposes a 3% increase for higher education, using the state’s status quo funding approach – a system that we know is inequitable in its distribution and inadequate in the funds needed. We now know our public universities are nearly $1.4B underfunded after nearly two decades of disinvestment by the state. Without a change in how we fund the state’s public universities, and the amount we invest on an annual basis, students face another year of attending institutions with dramatically disparate resources. This disparity plays out in differences in the services and supports students receive, and, by extension, their ability to persist and complete their degree.  

But we can do better. The Adequate and Equitable Funding Formula for Public Universities, as proposed by Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford’s and Representative Carol Ammons’s SB13/HB1581, would transform higher education funding for the state, sending increased investments to our institutions, and prioritizing those universities and students furthest from adequacy. Grounded in recommendations by the Commission on Equitable Public University Funding, this student-centered formula is grounded in more than two years of research into evidence-based, impact-driven practices that work to support student persistence. 

At a time when actions and communications from the new White House administration signal an adversarial posture toward research-based school and campus programs and practices used to level a playing field that has historically been structured to exclude and under-resource marginalized students, it is critical that our state stands firm on its commitment to promoting an inclusive economy by making the right decisions today. The choices that lie ahead, regardless of the budget environment, must be ones that prioritize removing systemic barriers so that every student can realize their potential and use their skills and talents to contribute to Illinois’ future health, vibrance, and vitality. 

We appreciate the Governor’s historic and ongoing commitment to a strong education system for the state and the decisions he and our lawmakers must consider amid challenging circumstances. That said, more can and must be done for Illinois’ children and students. We now look to the General Assembly to respond to the needs left unaddressed or requiring more support than what is offered in today’s proposal. We encourage them to take advantage of key opportunities to sustain and grow Illinois students’ continued recovery from COVID disruptions, and to support their ability to excel and reach their full potential. Our students need this, and the future of the state depends on it.