Equitable Funding
About Adequate and Equitable Funding
In 2017, Illinois reformed the way it funds public schools through passing the Evidence-Based Funding Formula after years of fighting for equitable school funding. Nevertheless, the formula remains significantly underfunded. Illinois has established a goal of increasing funding by $350 million per year, which will leave two decades before the formula adequately funds Illinois’ schools.
Dedicating funds to address education disparities and disruptions like learning gaps, academic losses, and chronic absenteeism is critical to lifting students out of poverty. Other key strategies at the State-level for accelerating the trajectory toward adequate funding include fixing the hidden school funding inequities that persist by supporting equitable pension funding and right-sizing property taxes to further fix the state’s regressive funding structure.
Our Vision
Every student will have access to a fully-funded education that funds the educators, curriculum, facilities, and supports to receive a well-rounded, high-quality public education. Where We’ve Been
Where We’ve Been
- Evidence-Based Formula adopted in 2017
- Ended the inequitable pension surcharge on federal funds
- $350M appropriated for EBF in the FY25 budget
Where We’re GOing
- Fight to adopt a pathway to fully-fund Evidence-Based Funding.
- Ensure EBF cost factors adequately support poverty
- concentration, student trauma, and re-enrolling dropouts
- Incorporate inequitable teacher pension funding mechanisms
- into EBF to maximize equity
How to Plug In
If you believe the $350 million increase in EBF funding is a floor, not a ceiling, sign the pledge to be an education equity champion.
Do you Have a story about how EBF Funding has impacted your classroom? We want to hear from you!
If you don’t want to share your story via video just yet, we understand! You can opt to share via a written submission.
