The Weekly Roundup | 6/6/25
- IFT
- Jun 6
- 3 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
We’ve rounded up the new legislation that will affect our schools and workplaces below. Now that the Illinois legislative session has adjourned, we will only send the roundup as needed over the summer. Thank you for reading!
THREE ITEMS ON OUR RADAR
Limited gains in FY26 budget
Last week, lawmakers approved a $55.2 billion budget for the 2026 spring legislative session, up from $53.2 billion in FY25. The plan largely maintains funding from the previous fiscal year and accounts for ongoing federal uncertainty.
Each year, Illinois experiences natural growth in its state budget and continues its commitment to improving K-12 education by allocating additional funds beyond the previous year's levels. Pension payments for public workers are also fully funded, a notable shift after years of underfunding or, in some cases, no funding at all by previous legislatures and governors.
However, this budget does not make a substantial investment beyond what is required by law, which will have wide-ranging impacts on our members in K-12 schools, higher education, and state agencies.
While some legislative initiatives to support workers reached the governor’s desk, several key items did not. These include improvements to Tier 2 pensions and the creation of a state-level Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service in response to cuts to the federal program.
Higher ed locals show the power of action and advocacy
While state funding for our schools and institutions was flat or minimal, persistence paid off for other measures to improve campuses and colleges statewide. The Cook County College Teachers Union (Local 1600) was a proponent of HB 3385, which requires higher education institutions to have licensed mental health professionals on campus as a resource for students. This passed both houses and is now headed to the governor’s desk for a signature. Senate Joint Resolution 13 also passed this session, creating a Library and Professional Librarian Access and Transparency Task Force for universities and community colleges across the state. The University Professionals of Illinois (Local 4100) has been raising the issue of disinvestment in university libraries for some time, especially after the entire library staff was cut at Western Illinois University last year. They called on members to take action and worked with legislators to establish this measure to ensure libraries and the educational services provided by librarians remain viable benefits to Illinois students. Thank you to all our locals who advocated in Springfield this spring!
What's ahead for schools and students
Several bills passed last month will impact schools, students, and educators. SB 28, an IFT initiative that removes the requirement to use student test scores in teacher and administrator evaluations, passed with bipartisan support and will now head to the governor’s desk for a signature. We know that using student test scores doesn’t show the full picture of student growth and is overly burdensome for educators and school administrators. Now the weight placed on those scores within educator evaluations will be decided at the district level.
Lawmakers also passed bills on a range of topics, including protecting students’ right to education regardless of citizenship status, establishing a direct admissions program for students who meet GPA standards, banning police from fining students for minor school infractions, expanding dual language programs, improving school safety drills, and creating guidance for AI technology in schools.
PREVIEW OF NEXT WEEK
Learn more about “No Kings Day” on June 14 and how you can join an event near you. AFT is holding a town hall on June 10 to prepare for this day of action.
The IFT Academic Freedom Summer continues! Register now for summer professional development.
As summer reading incentives pop up, consider including a few written by Illinois authors. Learn more about Illinois Reads and how you can take part.
