Due to a drop in local tax revenue and a bump in English learner enrollment, Chicago Public Schools will receive an additional $76 million from the state. Earlier this year, district officials anticipated a $25 million increase from the state.
State lawmakers said they’re ready to collaborate with the Chicago school board to find funding solutions, but did not commit to a special session or additional education funding.
The Office for Students with Disabilities is phasing out two departments and reassigning 65 new roles to work directly with schools, an internal email from Chicago Public Schools shows. The changes aim to put high-quality instruction before compliance, a top district official said.
A new Trump administration policy bars undocumented students from accessing Head Start, a 60-year-old program for low-income families.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker wrote a letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon signed by 16 other governors calling the freeze of federal funds “a failure to fulfill the Department’s most basic responsibility.”
A new report looks at Illinois students who graduated high school between 2008 and 2012 and their education, career, and earning outcomes. Students who obtained a college degree made more money, but disparities in education and career outcomes persist.
Illinois lawmakers proposed a bill that would have required parents to notify school districts if they were going to homeschool their children. But opponents called it “draconian” and vowed to keep fighting it.
Congress approved the support for English learners and afterschool programs. But the dollars expected on July 1 are now on hold, creating ‘unnecessary uncertainty,’ Sanders says.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Illinois lawmakers were hoping to pass a bill requiring school districts to create a policy limiting the use of the devices in class this spring. But it stalled in the House.
Rachael Mahmood traveled around Illinois to hear from educators, administrators, students, and parents. Race, background, and years in the classroom often impacted their answers.