Advance Illinois Applauds the Governor’s Decision to Launch a New Single Agency for Illinois’ Early Childhood and Care

With Governor Pritzker’s announcement today to bring governance of the state’s various and diverse early childhood programs under one agency, Illinois is taking a tremendous step forward in ensuring its youngest children and families have equitable access to high-quality programs and services.  In addition, the announcement that Ann Whalen, longtime Policy Director for Advance Illinois, an independent education policy and advocacy non-profit, will lead the transition suggests this important work will be in good hands.  

 “The Governor’s decision to appoint Ann Whalen to spearhead this critical project speaks volumes about how seriously he takes the responsibility to give early childhood the footing it needs to give every child a strong start,” said Robin Steans, President of Advance Illinois. “We believe Ann will be a strong champion to lead this work.” 

 As the Commission on Equitable Early Childhood Education and Care (“the Commission”) outlined in its important 2021 report Ready Illinois: Simpler, Fairer, Better,  how Illinois funds and allocates limited early childhood education and care dollars has resulted in a patchwork quilt of programming and supports across the state. The way in which Illinois administers early childhood programs is part of the problem. Families and providers have to navigate as many as three different agencies that oversee different aspects of Illinois’ early childhood system of care. Today’s announcement of a single agency will enable the state to focus more thoughtfully and strategically on how best to serve young children. Advance Illinois applauds the Governor for continuing to implement Commission recommendations, and for his willingness to make structural and lasting changes that will benefit children and families well into the future. 

Today’s announcement comes on the heels of notable investments in Illinois’ earliest learners, including the launch of Smart Start Illinois, an initiative to expand access and services to more families and children; launch of the Illinois Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity, a coordinated state effort to strengthen the early childhood workforce; and the establishment of the Birth to Five regional and community infrastructure, a critical opportunity for families and providers across the state to identify local and regional needs and opportunities. 

 In conjunction with these investments, a single, unified early childhood agency allows the state to deepen its commitment to young children, and to do so in a way that addresses the needs of families and providers coherently and equitably. Advance Illinois celebrates the Governor for continuing his efforts to make Illinois the best state in the nation to raise families with young children, and we stand ready to support the administration and the General Assembly in transforming Illinois’ system of early childhood education and care system now and into the future. 

Advance Illinois Statement on Recent SCOTUS Rejection of Affirmative Action in College Admissions & Executive Action to Relieve Student Loan Borrowers

The data and research are clear: Our country has a long way to go to live up to its ideal of equal opportunity for all. We have persistent gaps in educational access, persistence and completion by race and ethnicity that drive and reinforce economic and health outcome disparities. While there is no single or easy answer to addressing these inequities, we believe the country took a step backward yesterday with the Supreme Court decision against race-conscious college admissions. This is compounded by today's decision to strike down the administration’s actions to cancel student debt for millions of Americans. We believe these decisions will have real and long-term implications in the ability of historically underrepresented minorities to access higher education, and for institutions of higher education to create opportunities for them. This not only hurts these student groups, but it is ultimately to the detriment of communities and the country at large.    

Advance Illinois will continue to work with partners and stakeholders to expand equity in Illinois, despite the constraints created by the Court’s decision against affirmative action in college admissions and executive actions. While we know these decisions make our work more challenging, we hope and trust that state and university leaders will continue to champion and use every tool at their disposal to advance equity and opportunity. Our collective future and well-being depends on ensuring all citizens have equitable access to education at all levels to reach their full potential.

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Advance Illinois Statement Regarding the FY24 State Budget

With FY24 Budget, Advance Illinois Applauds Lawmakers and Governor Pritzker for Continued Education Investments and Big Steps to Support Access, Equity, and Quality for Children, Students in Our State 

CHICAGO, IL (May 27, 2023)—We congratulate the Illinois General Assembly on passing a budget that prioritizes education and recognizes the ongoing, deep, and uneven impact the pandemic continues to have on learners of all ages. 

“While the budget does not contain everything we hoped for, it clearly and rightly prioritizes children, students, and families across the state,” said Robin Steans, President of Advance Illinois. "We applaud our elected officials for supporting young people of all ages, who continue to struggle with the academic and mental health tolls that come with years of disrupted learning.”  

Investing in Our Youngest Learners 

This winter, we joined partners from across the state’s early childhood community in celebrating the Governor’s historic plan for stabilizing and growing Illinois’ early learning and care system for the thousands of families who rely on its services, instruction, and supports. A child’s earliest developmental experiences are foundational to later success in school and life, so how well we support children’s care and development shapes our collective future. Accordingly, we applaud the General Assembly’s support for Smart Start Ilinois. Rooted in the recommendations set forth by the Commission on Equitable Early Childhood Education and Care Funding, Smart Start Illinois takes a systemic approach to improving and broadening access to early childhood in our state. By expanding preschool, child care, early intervention, and home visiting, Smart Start will also work to fix issues that undermine the equity and sustainability of our early childhood systems. The legislature’s substantial investment for Smart Start and early childhood includes an additional  $74 million for the Early Childhood Block Grant, $170 million for the state’s child care system—including resources to increase workforce compensation—$40 million for Early Intervention, and $5 million for home visiting, as well as $50 million for early childhood capital improvements, $3 million for early childhood special education to expand work similar to that of the Early CHOICES pilot,  and $1.6 million for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, an initiative to provide free books to children birth to age 5. These investments mark important steps in strengthening the system at every point to ensure more children and families can access the education, care, and services they need.  

Wins for Higher Education 

In the FY24 budget, lawmakers once again invested at an historic level in the state’s Monetary Award Program (MAP). In affirming Governor Pritzker’s proposed $100 million increase for this need-based student financial aid program, our lawmakers have made it clear they understand that MAP is the state’s most valuable tool in making college more affordable and accessible to all Illinois students. Combined with PELL grants, this additional investment will allow nearly all community college students and as many as 40 percent of public university students at or below median income levels to complete their postsecondary education debt-free. What a powerful message to the next generation!  

What’s more, we applaud the General Assembly for including a 7 percent increase in institutional postsecondary funding—the largest increase to this expenditure in 20 years.  While there is more work to be done, this significant increase is a step in the right direction. This summer, the Commission on Equitable Public University Funding is set to make recommendations on how to create a more equitable, student-centered funding model for our public universities.  As a member of the Coalition for Transforming Higher Education Funding, we look forward to working with the General Assembly to ensure that higher education funding is not only adequate and stable, but that it equitably distributes state resources. 

Growing and Strengthening our Teacher Pipeline 

We applaud Illinois legislators for approving investments that will further strengthen our educator pipeline. Lawmakers heard and listened to advocates seeking greater investment in future teachers of color, and they delivered. They approved $8 million for the Minority Teachers of Illinois scholarship (MTI) to grow the state’s incoming pool of teachers, increasing the number of scholarship candidates by more than half. Research shows that having teachers of color improves test scores and attendance, and reduces suspension rates for students of color. The additional funds allocated to MTI will help hundreds more aspiring teachers of color receive financial support that will ultimately pay off in classrooms across the state. Additionally, investments in such programs as Golden Apple Scholars/Accelerators, principal mentoring, and Teach for America, along with the creation of a new Teacher Vacancy Grant Pilot Program, will help support, strengthen, and expand proven programs and invest in new strategies on both the supply and demand side of the teacher shortage challenge.  

Supporting Our School Districts  

Since last fall, advocates have called for increased investments into the Evidence-based Funding (EBF) formula to accelerate Illinois’ steps toward fully funding every school district. This week, lawmakers approved an appropriation of $350 million for EBF, the minimum annual increase amount set forth when the formula was signed into law in 2017. Recognizing the unique complexity of this year’s budget environment and the decisions lawmakers had to make, we thank them for maintaining a steady eye on this priority and renewing their commitment to it. Because we know EBF works.  

In five of the last six years, the General Assembly has approved increases to the formula—investing nearly $1.6 million in new tier funding overall. This commitment has drastically reduced the number of underfunded school districts in Illinois. However, with over half of the state’s students—more than one million children—still in districts below 75% of full funding, we need to make good on having missed a year of increased funding during the pandemic, and need to commit to growing EBF investments to make sure every student enrolled at an Illinois public K-12 school can access quality education sooner. If Illinois continues at its current rate of adding $350 million additional dollars to EBF each year, the formula will not be fully funded in real inflation-adjusted terms for at least another 15 years.  That represents an entire generation of children. We can cut that time in half if Illinois increases its annual investment into EBF to at least $550 million a year. We can and must find a way to meet our students’ needs faster. 

We look forward to continuing to work alongside advocates and partners across the B-20 continuum and with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to advance education policy and investments that center equity and prioritize quality. Every Illinois student deserves a promising future, and that begins with the choices we make now.  

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About Advance Illinois  
Advance Illinois is an independent policy and advocacy organization working toward a healthy public education system that enables all students to achieve success in college, career, and civic life. Since its founding in 2008, Advance Illinois has become a nationally recognized thought leader in education policy and advocacy.

Governor’s Proposed FY24 Budget is A Win-Win for Kids, State

Contact: 
Bravetta Hassell

communications@advanceillinois.org

CHICAGO (February 15, 2023)—"The Governor’s proposed FY24 budget prioritizes children and families and is a win for student and for Illinois,” says Robin Steans, President of Advance Illinois.

When Governor Pritzker came to office five years ago, he promised to make Illinois the best state in the nation to raise a family, and the investments he proposed today do just that, aiming to: strengthen and grow early learning, maintain forward momentum in public schools, address ongoing teacher shortages, and direct significant new dollars to put higher education in reach for dramatically more students. While there are opportunities for the General Assembly to push for greater equity and sustainability, the Governor’s proposed budget is a win for our state and our young people. 

With the Governor’s announcement of Smart Start Illinois, an ambitious plan to expand access to and deepen investments in Illinois’ early learning and care systems, we join many in this space in applauding the Governor for creating more opportunities for Illinois’ youngest learners and their families. As importantly, the Governor’s plan is rooted in the blueprint set forth by the Commission on Equitable Early Childhood Education and Care Funding and rightly takes a systemic approach – expanding preschool, child care, early intervention, and home visiting, while working to fix issues that must be addressed for our early childhood systems to be equitable and sustainable. Proposed investments of $130 million to stabilize and grow the workforce and increase wages, $100 million in capital spending for child care facilities, and plans to expand more equitable and stable funding mechanisms create the necessary environment to both drive and sustain greater access and quality. If approved, Smart Start Illinois would ensure dramatically more children and families can access quality early learning and care. We applaud the Governor for making good on his commitment to children and families with this thoughtful and comprehensive proposal.  

Over the past three years, every sector of society has been profoundly disrupted by COVID-19. Our schools had to rapidly adapt, student engagement and opportunity suffered, and many Illinois colleges saw their enrollments decline. So we were encouraged this winter when the Illinois Board of Higher Education and the Illinois Community College Board reported that enrollment this past fall was up, with Black and Latinx students driving the growth. The state's historic investment in the need-based Monetary Award Program (MAP) undoubtedly made a difference. Today, the Governor’s bold proposal to invest more deeply in MAP and institutional funding is an acknowledgement that Illinois can and must continue to improve college affordability and access. If approved, the Governor’s proposed $100 million in additional MAP funding would likely allow nearly all community college students and as many as 40% of public university students at or below median income levels to completely cover their tuition and fees with MAP and Pell grants. At a time when economic security increasingly depends on a postsecondary degree, this is powerful! 

In addition, we support the Governor’s recommendation to increase institutional postsecondary funding by 7%—the largest increase in 20 years. New funds are needed to ensure our public universities can better serve their students without increasing tuition. That said, it is critical that new funds prioritize student need.  For the second time, IBHE has recommended that the state use a short-term and more equitable system to allocate any new funds, and we will work with the General Assembly toward that end. 

In K-12, we appreciate the Governor’s continued commitment to closing deep funding inequities at a time when student need not only persists, but has widened in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. A $350 million increase to the Evidence-based Funding (EBF) formula is an important investment in our K-12 system that sends much needed dollars to students and districts that need them the most.  That said, we will work with the General Assembly to do more. Unless we increase our annual investment in the EBF, it will take us at least fifteen years to reach full funding.  That represents an entire generation of students, and that is simply too long.  Voices from the field—from parents to teachers, school district leaders and community members —are right in calling for more. We encourage lawmakers to build on the Governor’s proposal and to advance a budget that increases EBF by an additional $550 million. Investing at this level will move our schools to full funding in half the time, ensuring all students receive a high-quality education, regardless of their zip code.  

Finally, we appreciate the Governor’s commitment to strengthening our educator pipeline. It is terrific and right to deepen the state’s investment in growing and diversifying the state’s pipeline.  We look forward to working with ISBE and with legislators to ensure that new dollars are used in a way that supports high-need districts and invests in proven and sustainable solutions.  Indeed, we applaud the Governor’s proposal to increase the Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) scholarship program – a strategy that is successfully bringing new teachers of color into the profession. An additional $2.8 million will allow hundreds more aspiring teachers to receive financial support– a small investment with an outsized impact. 

Taken together, we celebrate the Governor’s remarkable budget proposal – one that prioritizes children, addresses serious issues comprehensively, and approaches education as the birth to higher education continuum that it is. Said Steans, “this historic budget proposal recognizes that education is the single most important investment our state can make in our children’s future, and in our state’s broader well-being. With the right priorities firmly in place and with some historic ambitions clearly articulated, it is now up to the General Assembly to stay the course for Illinois students and families.  

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About Advance Illinois  
Advance Illinois is an independent policy and advocacy organization working toward a healthy public education system that enables all students to achieve success in college, career, and civic life. Since its founding in 2008, Advance Illinois has become a nationally recognized thought leader in education policy and advocacy. To learn more, visit advanceillinois.org.

Advance Illinois Statement on the Illinois State Board of Education's New Superintendent Appointment

Today, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) named U-46 Superintendent Dr. Tony Sanders the new state superintendent of education. Dr. Sanders has been an outspoken champion for equity during his tenure at U-46 and beyond. We applaud this appointment and look forward to working with Dr. Sanders and the ISBE board to continue the state’s efforts to advance equity and ensure all our students, from early childhood through higher education, have the care and education they need to thrive and succeed.