Special Summer Edition of The Weekly Roundup | 7/11/25

IFT
Jul 11
2 min read

Legislators aren’t in Springfield right now, but Governor Pritzker has been busy signing bills passed this spring, including SB 28 – a new law prioritizing teaching over testing in Illinois classrooms. In a statement, IFT President Dan Montgomery said, “This law restores trust in educators and school leaders to make decisions locally through the joint committee process, allowing teachers more time to focus on what matters most: teaching, supporting, and connecting with their students.” Keep reading for the latest national news items that affect our members.

THREE ITEMS ON OUR RADAR

The so-called One Big Beautiful Bill becomes law

Despite opposition from Democrats and a low public approval rating for the legislation, Republicans in Congress have passed and President Donald Trump signed a tax and domestic policy bill that will increase spending on immigration enforcement and make deep cuts to social safety net programs, with major ramifications for children and schools. You can read AFT’s response here. Though some cuts will not be implemented until after the midterms, it’s no secret that this bill will make things more difficult for working families, while ensuring tax breaks for the most wealthy. Remember that when you vote next year.

Trump administration holds up already-approved school funding

On July 1, President Trump’s Department of Education withheld more than $6 billion in grant money payments that had already been appropriated by Congress and planned for in school district budgets across the country – including an estimated $240 million for Illinois students and schools. Read our response from IFT President Dan Montgomery, and learn which districts are affected here. This move alongside news of cuts to Medicaid and SNAP ahead, as well as blocking access to early education to undocumented children, is another jab at working families and the students who need the most support. But as the latest news out of East St. Louis shows us, we must continue to stand with our allies and fight back. When we fight, we win. Keep fighting.

AFT launches member training initiative to build AI skills

As artificial intelligence rapidly expands, teachers are facing tremendous technological changes—and with them, the challenge of navigating AI wisely, ethically and safely. That’s why the AFT and the United Federation of Teachers, in partnership with Microsoft, OpenAI and Anthropic, have launched the Na tional Academy for AI Instructi on: an initiative to help educators build the skills they need to use these tools effectively in the classroom The academy will offer free virtual training to all 1.8 million members in its union, starting with K-12 educators, with the ultimate goal to train 400,000 educators at the in-person facility over the next five years. Read the release from AFT here as well as their guardrails for AI, published last year.