Last week the General Assembly adjourned the 103rd Session and there is much to discuss and celebrate! The session included historic investment in education and endorsement of Smart Start Illinois, a multi-year vision for early childhood and care that stems from recommendations made by the Governor’s Early Childhood Funding Commission. At a time when state houses across the country are telling programs and schools what they can and can’t do and taking steps to make classrooms less accessible and inclusive, Illinois’ legislature showed a commitment to expanding access, increasing transparency, supporting equity and inclusion, and leveraging evidence-based practices in classrooms and programs. Below we spotlight some key outcomes, along with our hope that Illinois continues to build on this commitment to equity and quality and stay on course toward becoming the best state in the nation to raise and educate a family.

FY24 Budget 
As we shared in our initial statement, the FY24 budget represents historic investment in our birth-to-20 education system. Throughout the legislative session, the collective voices of parents, educators, students and residents throughout the state raised up what is needed—and they were heard!  While we did not get everything we asked for, across early childhood and care, K-12, and post-secondary the General Assembly delivered over $1 billion in new education funding. That is a powerful investment in our state’s future! Starting with our youngest children, the budget included almost $300 million in new funds for education and care from birth to Pre-K, $350 million in new tier funds for our K-12 Evidence-Based Funding (EBF), more than $55 million new dollars to strengthen and diversify our educator pipeline, and an almost $215 million increase to support higher education institutions and scholarships. Thank you 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! 

In addition to community voice, Advance Illinois’ work is guided by research and data. Accordingly, we think it is powerful that across the education continuum, and thanks to the work of the Early Childhood Funding Commission, EBF, and the Illinois Commission on Equitable Public University Funding, Illinois is getting a clearer picture of what it truly costs to adequately and equitably fund education and meet the needs of children, students and families—while also paying our workforce at rates commensurate with their value. We use that information to guide our advocacy, and it is clear that legislators responded. Our one disappointment is that calls to increase funding for EBF by $550 million were not met. Given the ongoing post-pandemic needs facing students and schools across the state, and given the fact that the state did not increase EBF in FY21, the need was—and continues to be—urgent. And so our collective advocacy will continue.  

Legislative Highlights 

This year the General Assembly managed through an extraordinary volume of education-related bills. Of those that passed, the vast majority helped advance access, improve transparency, equity and inclusion, and worked to address needs in the educator pipeline. Here are a few highlights:    

Expanding Access  

Historically, offering kindergarten was optional for Illinois districts, and there was no expectation that full-day programs be provided. While the overwhelming majority of districts offer kindergarten (including full-day), HB2396 ensures that kindergarten will be available to all families, requiring that a full-day kindergarten option be offered in all districts by the 2027-28 school year. Additionally, SB2243 requires the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to, among other things, create a statewide Literacy Plan and provide resources and supports for districts and schools to increase access and implement evidence-based, culturally-inclusive core reading instruction programs. To expand access and participation in higher education, SB2288 requires improvements to Illinois’ 2- to 4- year articulation process (supporting the transferability of credits across schools) and, importantly, adds the education major to the Illinois Articulation Initiative.  

Improving Transparency & Strengthening Student Supports  

HB0342 advances a number of recommendations from the Whole Child Task Force. Specifically and among other things, the bill requires the State Report Card to include data on the number of counselors, social workers, and nurses available at the school and district level, and charges ISBE with creating a new “adversity index” to better understand student and family exposure to trauma. SB2031 establishes an Expanded High School Snapshot Report to provide greater transparency on the range of coursework available at high schools across the state, and more data on student participation in advanced coursework. Finally, SB2240 provides greater transparency to high school districts on their students’ community college remediation data. Taken together, these transparency efforts will help improve awareness, inform policy discussions, impact resource allocation decisions, and support ongoing improvement efforts. 

Elevating Equity and Inclusion 

Senate Bill 90 requires school districts to create a policy on discrimination and harassment based on race, color, or national origin. Pending appropriations, it also requires ISBE to create a data collection system to report on allegations of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation against students.  HB1633 requires that Native American History be taught in Illinois schools, and SB1787 establishes the Rural Education Advisory Council to advise ISBE on the experiences and needs of students and educators in rural settings. 

Supporting our Educator Pipeline  

This year we saw efforts to make it easier for substitutes to consistently support a classroom (HB3442), steps to launch a pilot to increase the availability of endorsements (HB2442), and action to provide relief for Golden Apple Scholars, Special Education Teacher Tuition Waiver, and Minority Teachers of Illinois Scholarship recipients who go back into eligible classrooms after initially not meeting their service requirements (HB3498). In addition, SB1488 establishes a taskforce to make recommendations for an objective and consistent teacher performance assessment as part of the Illinois teacher licensure process. Finally, HR 62 calls on ISBE to create a portal to help potential educators navigate entry into the profession, and to access available scholarships and waivers.  

At the same time, SB1872 shortens the time for teachers to be eligible for tenure and reduces the time that principals and coaches have to support early career teachers before making tenure decisions – a decision that will likely place additional pressure on the educator pipeline. We are optimistic that research currently underway into the implementation of Illinois’ educator evaluation system and led by the Performance Evaluation Advisory Council (PEAC), will identify strengths and opportunities that will inform any subsequent policy action. Going forward the state should continue to ensure that all teachers receive the feedback and support they need to be effective educators for all students.     

Budget Implementation Bill (BIMP)

In true Springfield fashion, the budget implementation bill (also known as the BIMP) included some impactful legislative changes and requirements.  These included: 

• Providing the authority and some parameters to launch the Governor’s Smart Start Illinois and Teacher Vacancy Grant Pilot Program, as well as establishing The Imagination Library of Illinois Fund.  

• Codifying an increase of the maximum grant award for Illinois’ signature grant program, MAP, from $8,508 to $10,896. 

• Requiring that FY24 early childhood construction grants go to school districts exclusively, and not also to eligible community–based programs. 

• Codifying into law the current income eligibility threshold (225% of the Federal Poverty Level) for the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP). 

• Directing ISBE, for a second year in a row, to work outside of the EBF formula and provide “Significant Loss” grants to certain eligible districts that may see a significant drop in their local contribution, a direction made on top of legislative changes designed to systemically ease the impact of dramatic changes in local revenues. Absent consultation with the Professional Review Panel (created to oversee the new EBF formula), this one-time grant was extended for another year.  

Conclusion 

All told, this session was marked by a budget that reflected and prioritized students, with a focus on equity and access. It is worth pausing to appreciate all those involved in getting to these key decisions and worth celebrating the General Assembly’s vote of confidence in the next generation and those who work tirelessly to educate and support them. But amidst the celebration, we cannot rest. Looking ahead, even more will be required of us to ensure that Illinois truly becomes the best state in the nation to raise and educate a family. As communities across the country grapple with culture wars that impact teaching and learning, we are reminded that Illinois is not immune to these tensions. We applaud the good work in motion to advance an equitable and high-quality system of education and care, and re-commit ourselves to the important work ahead. 

In partnership,  

Robin

rsteans@advanceillinois.org