Students pay the price for Illinois’ broken promise on school funding
- Aug 15
- 1 min read
By Cyndi Oberle-Dahm Executive VP at Illinois Federation of Teachers
Every year, Illinois tells us exactly how much money our public schools need. And every year, the state falls further short of delivering it.
New data released last week by the Illinois State Board of Education confirms this isn’t a metro-east problem, a downstate problem or even just a Chicago problem. It’s a statewide crisis — and it’s getting worse. Under the evidence-based funding formula passed in 2017, Illinois calculates an “adequacy target” for every district — the minimum amount needed to educate its students. This year, the gap between what districts receive and what they need has grown to nearly $7 billion, up about $1 billion from last year alone. Our students are being denied billions in technology, materials, staff and services, year after year. Billions.
And the numbers are moving the wrong way.
