Illinois Blog

Illinois has one of the most inequitable education funding systems in the country. Some school districts spend $7,000 per pupil, while others spend $25,000.

This disparity is largely driven by zip code.We need to make sure that all Illinois students attend schools that are adequately resourced, and there’s promising news from Springfield!

When it comes to education funding, Stand for Children is fighting for two equally-important elements: adequate funding and equitable distribution. Illinois’s funding gap between rich and poor school districts is the second-highest in the country. We’re incredibly regressive – and that hurts the most at-risk children who most need access to a great education. And the nearly $1 billion in cuts over the last five years have made our inequities worse.

Last night’s primary election brought big wins for Illinois kids. 

Eleven of the twelve candidates that Stand for Children endorsed won last night! (See the full list here.) That brings the total count to 51 candidate victories since we started our elections work in late 2010. 

I’m a dad and a small business owner.  And I’ve been spending the last several weekends knocking on doors asking people to vote in tomorrow's Illinois primary election.  

I've never knocked on doors before this election. Six months ago, you couldn’t have told me that I’d have this passion to get someone elected to office.  I was focused on my seven kids, my store, keeping my family safe and healthy. 

Then I joined Stand for Children as a parent member because I saw the need for strong public schools in my community on the South Side of Chicago.