Blue circle with an outline of a megaphone on the bottom left. The circle reads "Career and Technical Education". On the bottom right of the circle there are two blocks, one yellow and one black. They contain text reading "Advancing CTE in IL."

Past CTE Funding

Last year, the General Assembly appropriated $58 million for secondary CTE.  The $58M reflects a $10M increase last year and two smaller increases in 2020 and 2022.  Before these increases, the state CTE appropriate had been stagnant for decades, all while CTE enrollment has been steadily increasing.  The state’s much-needed investments have helped maintain high-quality, industry-aligned CTE programing but it does not leave much for the expansion of either programs or CTE students. 

Last year, 285k students, or 48% of Illinois’ total high school student population, took at least one CTE course.  And it’s worth mentioning here that while the statewide graduation rate is 87.7%, for CTE concentrators, that is students who take at least 2 CTE courses in a sequence, were 10 points more likely to graduate and that boost applied across all student subgroups.  So, an investment in CTE not only supports career-connected learning but can even help more students graduate on time.  So as more Illinois students explore CTE pathways, something I’m sure we can all agree is positive, it also means that without significant increases in funding everyone’s slice of the pie is getting a little smaller.

If CTE funding had kept up with inflation, the state appropriation would be well over $80M.  Illinois has been investing in CTE in other ways however, the Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness Act (PWR Act) established a blueprint for aligned, regionally relevant, industry-informed, CTE that ensures students gradate college and career ready with a clear path to what’s next after graduation.  But without additional funding districts have been asked to do more with less and must make hard choices between maintaining existing programing and developing new ones in response to new policy and labor market demands.  Increased state investment will help districts maintain current programing while freeing up to develop new programs to engage more students in CTE.

The Educator Career Pathway Grant is an excellent example of what is possible with targeted funds.  A total of $7.2M has been awarded 53 implementing high schools and in an analysis of CTE concentrators we found districts that were awarded the Educator Pathway Grant had stronger CTE concentrator rates and led the state in the number of Latina concentrators compared to other pathways.  These grants, while relatively small, have helped schools start critically needed educator pathways that have been successful in enrolling students traditionally under-represented in CTE courses.

Education For Employment Systems (EFEs)

On page 1 of your materials, you can see the state CTE appropriation funding flow chart.  We put this together in response to some of the questions from the Committee to prior CTE speakers and to provide some background information on how different CTE funds flow throughout the state.  On page one, you can see 99% of the state appropriated $58M flows directly to Education For Employment Systems, or EFEs.  EFEs are regional consortia of local districts, schools, and Area Career Centers that support and deliver high-quality CTE to students within their systems. To qualify for federal Perkins funding (which we’ll talk about in more depth shortly), recipients must qualify for a minimum grant of $15,000 based on a formula driven by population and poverty. But since some school districts were too small to qualify for the minimum grant, EFEs were created to ensure all schools received some federal funds.

But in an analysis of the state’s EFE districts we found that some EFEs receive nearly $700 per CTE participant in state funds while others are left with $62 per CTE participant.  ISBE’s new CTE funding formula seeks to ensure these funds flow more equitably by accounting for student enrollment, districts’ EBF adequacy target, and number of CTE concentrators, among other factors, but this formula is being incrementally rolled out so only a quarter of state CTE funds were distributed through the formula this year. Next year 50% of state funds will flow through the new formula and it is scheduled to be fully implemented by FY28, however this roll out is being threatened by insufficient funds to ensure that no EFE would receive lower investments than previous years.

In addition to the state secondary CTE appropriation, EFEs also receive federally appropriated Perkins funds.  In FY24 the state received $50M from the federal Perkins grant to support both secondary and postsecondary CTE programs.  On page two of your written materials, you can see how that $50M is split between secondary and postsecondary funds.  85% of the Perkins secondary funds are then distributed to the 56 EFEs across the state. 

These federal funds amount to about 50% of all available CTE funds for EFEs and they cannot be used for facility construction or renovation or to purchase facilities.  Unlike traditional classrooms, many CTE pathways require access to state-of-the-art equipment and facilities. To defray costs, districts often rely on Area Career Centers or Community Colleges to maintain these facilities, but even with pooled resources, the rate of new technologies and commitment to teaching industry-aligned standards can create significant financial burdens on secondary and postsecondary programs alike.

Our Budget Request

To receive Perkins grants the state must contribute a Maintenance of Effort in state funds.  ISBE’s target Maintenance of Effort is $45 million.  Given this provision, any increase in state CTE funds should be done incrementally to preserve funding stability across Illinois’ CTE system. However, some funds are exempt from the MOE and growing those investments with one-time infusions would assist districts in meeting the needs and challenges of a 21st Century CTE system. Capital funds are one such investment, as are competitive grants like the $5M education career pathway grant.

We are requesting a $42M increase to the state’s secondary CTE appropriation, which would bring the state’s total investment in secondary CTE to $100M, but if you want to preserve future flexibility, an idea could be to appropriate funding in seven competitive grants aligned to each of the seven CTE endorsement areas.  You can see the list of endorsement areas on page 6 of your packet.  This would help districts meet growing student demand and develop new CTE programming responsive to 21st century labor demands without increasing the state’s Perkins maintenance of effort.

Additionally, the General Assembly should charge ISBE and ICCB to conduct a joint study to determine how the current CTE facilities are meeting the needs of districts looking to scale up pathways, what kind of updates would be necessary to expand access to college and career endorsement pathways, particularly in under-resourced districts, and places for collaboration across the many regional CTE actors such as Regional Offices of Education, Education for Employment districts, high school districts, and community college districts. The recommendations should focus on capital improvements that guarantee access to college and career endorsement pathways in all regions of the state, address logistical challenges like transportation, stress collaboration and shared resources across actors, and prioritize the needs of districts furthest from adequate funding. Such an analysis is a critical first step in a campaign to secure more CTE capital funding which will help grow CTE access while maximizing federal investments.

Light gray background. Stand for Children Illinois logo. Three silhouettes of adults standing behind the silhouette of a child reaching their hand to the sky on a dark blue background. Dark blue circle with an outline of a megaphone on the bottom left. The circle reads "Career and Technical Education". On the bottom right of the circle there are two cyan blocks reading "Advancing CTE in IL."

Illinois has undoubtedly made progress in career and technical education (CTE) over the last decade—both in expanding opportunities for students and in collecting disaggregated data to support equity. School leaders are clamoring for more CTE investment and it’s a win-win proposal: smart for students and their individual futures and a strategic investment for Illinois’ economy. Last year’s budget saw a $4.6 million increase to the program; however, if Illinois had kept pace with inflation, the CTE appropriation would be about $80 million instead of $48 million.

State Secondary CTE Appropriation line graph. X axis (time) 1999-2024. Y axis (appropriations) $10,000,000-90,000,000. The ISBE Appropriations line remains fairly constant over the years. In 1999 it is just above $40,000,000, and in 2024 it is just below $50,000,000. Adjusted for inflation, the appropriations would have been just under $80,000,000 in 2022.

But strengthening CTE is not just about more funding. It’s also about deliberate growth of programming in high-demand, high-skill, high-pay career areas, and equitable opportunities for students in every zip code. This report identifies four strategic policies to advance dual credit in Illinois:

  • Conduct a return-on-investment analysis.
  • Commit to sustainable funding.
  • Complete a capital needs assessment.
  • Provide CTE course parity.

We also hope this report is a helpful hub of CTE information – like historical budget information, funding allocation flowcharts, links to existing datasets, models from other states, exemplars from several school districts, and other pertinent resources related to Career and Technical Education, Workplace Learning, and Dual Credit.

Illinois state capitol

The final week of legislative session is a sprint. The General Assembly’s big focus is wrapping up the budget for the new fiscal year. There are plenty of priorities included, but we are focused on a few and wanted to flag them for you.

Of course, we are aiming to continue boosting Evidence-Based Funding yet again. We expect that number to land at $350 million in new funding but continue to urge the legislature to accelerate that investment to close the funding gap more quickly.

We’re also focused on these budget priorities. We hope you’ll join us and ask your legislators to support these issues in the FY24 budget!

  • $3.15 million to grow Dual Credit opportunities across the state and to expand equitable access to these life – and career! – changing courses. Let’s support their futures!
  • $3 million to support the Minority Teachers of Illinois scholarship program. This will help address the teacher shortage AND increase the gender and racial diversity in the teacher corps, something that’s especially important for students of color to see representation like that in their classrooms.

We’ve got our work cut out for us, friends. With your help, and the help of folks across the state, I’m confident we can make a positive impact for Illinois youth and families in the new budget.

We’re this close to comprehensive literacy legislation passing the Illinois House. This is the time of year when the Illinois legislature finishes up bills and increasingly turns its attention to the budget. So this blog is doing double duty…we need a pro-literacy bill AND a pro-literacy budget!

The facts are stark: about 40% of Illinois students can’t read at even a ‘basic’ level. Most states have acted recently to ensure literacy instruction is evidence-based. It’s time to add Illinois to the list. Urge your representative to support SB2243, soon to be voted on the House floor AND increase early childhood education funding in the budget!

Literacy is complex. It starts with spoken language and exposure to rich vocabulary, experiences to build background knowledge, reading books out loud and learning about concepts of print. (Early childhood programs are SO important for this!) It also requires strong foundational skills with explicit instruction so students can connect the letters on the page to the sounds of speech to the meaning of the words.

Illinois needs a literacy plan so that all students, regardless of where they live or their home language, have access to evidence-based literacy instruction. Working together, we can set more Illinois students on the path of lifelong reading.

We’re nearly there, friends. With your help, we’ll get this done.

elementary schoolers siting on a rug in a classroom

Governor JB Pritzker delivered his Budget Address earlier today. Education is a big focus of his plan this year and he’s calling it “Smart Start” – a proposal that would boost early childhood funding by $250 million! That is a big deal. It means 20,000 more preschool slots, better pay for childcare workers, facilities funds, and a boost in early intervention and home visiting programs.

I’m celebrating that part! I’m less enthralled with the funding increase request for the Evidence-Based Funding Formula for K-12 schools, set at the so-called “Minimum Funding Level” – $350 million. Remember: when we passed this funding formula five years ago, Illinois schools were the least-equitably funded in the country. The formula is working and shrinking those equity gaps, but Illinois is still among the most inequitably funded states. It’s on us to urge our lawmakers to support a $550 million increase for Evidence-Based Funding in this year’s budget. Tell your legislators that this is the year for a $550 million formula increase.

At the rate of $350 million per year, it will be 2047 before we fully fund K-12 education.

We’ve got to speed that up. Without a significant infusion of funds, the kids who will benefit from a fully funded system haven’t even been born yet.

This budget proposal is overall quite strong. The Governor has clearly prioritized education. Going beyond the “minimum” to give another $550 million to Evidence-Based Funding will complete the package.

I hope you’ll join us in asking for a $550 million increase to the education formula.

two elementary school students reading

“Don’t tell me what you value. Show me your budget, and I’ll tell you what you value.”

President Biden has said those words often over the years, noting the importance of what’s included in each budget. They reflect our priorities and what we truly value.

And now we urge Governor Pritzker to make his next budget proposal a true reflection of what Illinois values.

We value education.

We value students having the support they need.

We value educators.

We value safe schools.

We value all these things and more. To reach that goal – something we all truly value – we must accelerate the pace of funding for schools. Our kids are counting on us to stand up for them.

I hope you’ll join me and urge Gov. Pritzker to include accelerated new funding for Illinois classrooms. We simply cannot wait any longer.

This should be in the Governor’s budget proposal. Because, after all, this is something we all value.

When Illinois overhauled its school funding formula five years ago, it came with a goal to fully fund our schools within a decade. So…are we halfway there? Not even close! In fact, a million students still attend underfunded schools.

Most years, the state has gone along with the Minimum Funding Level – $350 million. At this rate, it will take until 2047 to reach full funding.

This year, advocates are saying “minimum” isn’t good enough for our kids. We need a path to adequacy, not a path to mediocrity.

The State Board of Education will vote on its budget recommendation on Wednesday and has the opportunity to join the chorus of voices pushing to go beyond the minimum. That’s not a sure thing, though. The board’s finance committee met and recommended you guessed it – the Minimum Funding Level. Tell the board: increase school funding by $550 million because the minimum isn’t good enough for Illinois students.

Funding reform created an equitable framework for new funding. Every new dollar helps close the equity gap between low-income and higher-income districts. But our investments to date aren’t moving the needle. Illinois schools are still among the most inequitably funded in the country.

It’s time to step up and invest $550 million more in Evidence-Based Funding, putting Illinois on a path to adequacy 10 years sooner.

elementary schoolers siting on a rug in a classroom

Earlier today, members of the Illinois legislature took the oath of office for a new term as members of the General Assembly. On Monday, Governor JB Pritzker was sworn in for his second term as governor. I was there on Monday, along with my colleague Jessica, for the ceremony and the pomp and circumstance.

As our elected officials set their agenda and plan their ’23 goals, now is a great time for us to congratulate them and urge their support for our shared priorities.

I’m talking about common sense priorities like ensuring Illinois schools have the funding they need to give kids the education they deserve; providing evidence-based literacy instruction to boost our state’s sagging reading scores; working to ensure racial justice in the youth court system; and, working together to offer students expanded opportunities for advanced coursework.

Let’s congratulate our elected leaders on their inauguration and urge them to focus on issues that will make a positive difference for Illinois children and their families!

Thank you for standing with us as we start the new year. I look forward to everything we accomplish together this year.

Illinois has made great strides in the years since the Evidence-Based Funding formula became law. More dollars flow to Illinois classrooms, first going to the schools that need the most help. In fact, about $1.5 billion more state funding goes to schools each year since that change – a sign of progress and our collective impact!

That doesn’t mean we’re done; far from it. If we continue on the current pace of adding $350 million in new state funding each year, Illinois schools will not reach adequate funding for another two decades.

We can’t wait that long. A generation of Illinois students waits for us to act.

That’s why in next year’s State budget, we are urging lawmakers to include $550 million in new state funding for Illinois schools. The additional funding will close the gap between the haves and have nots about twice as quickly, helping ensure our schools have the resources they need to give children the education they deserve.

Stand with us and urge lawmakers to include $550 million in new funding for Illinois schools.

We are closing the funding gap and making progress, but we still have a ways to go. More than a million Illinois students attend districts funded at less than 75% of what they need.

Take action today and tell Springfield to prioritize $550 million in new Evidence-Based Funding for our schools in next year’s budget.

IL state capitol

Governor Pritzker signed the budget this week, securing another $350 million for Evidence-Based Funding! Legislators adjourned early in the morning just under two weeks ago, bringing the spring 2022 legislative session to a close. Here’s a quick wrap-up on our priority issues and some next steps.

Expanding Access to Dual Credit: Both the Illinois House and Senate unanimously passed a bill to boost access to Dual Credit courses and give districts flexibility to launch and grow their own Dual Credit programs. If you haven’t already, take a moment to thank the legislators who led the way in the General Assembly.

Improving Literacy Outcomes: We’re collaborating with education advocates and our fellow members of the Illinois Early Literacy Coalition to improve the Right to Read Act so that it works for all students. We’ll be convening this summer with experts and leaders in the literacy field to ensure the bill is as strong as possible, with the goal of passing it later this year or next spring.

Growing CTE Collaboration and Access: House lawmakers approved a Resolution make access more equitable to Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses and to facilitate the partnerships needed for successful CTE programs to flourish. Join me and thank the lawmakers who made this House Resolution a priority.

Enacting Economic Security: In the fight for racial justice, Stand joined the Coalition to Make EIC Work, a group of dedicated organizations and advocates that fought to expand the Earned Income Credit. Lawmakers enacted a budget including a permanent expansion of the EIC, providing direct tax relief to more than 4.5 million working Illinois families. The Coalition will continue fighting to create a permanent Child Tax Credit.

Fighting for Youth Justice: The work with our partners in the Debt Free Justice Campaign continues as we grow our coalition and refine the bill to help make the most impact for Illinois youth and their families by eliminating juvenile court fees and fines. We know that creating a brighter future for us all includes ensuring our juvenile court system is just and fair for everyone, and aimed towards healing, youth development, and reducing recidivism.

Thank you for everything you did this spring to help ensure positive results for Illinois children and families. The work continues, and I know you’ll be there as we take those next steps soon.