Our Stories
We usually write about developments in the legislature, but there is critical activity involving the State Board of Education with profound implications. Frankly, we’re worried about the direction they are headed. We are worried the Board is about to take major steps backward for Illinois kids by undermining the system that lets parents and educators […]
TRS Surcharge Continues Taking Federal Funds from Districts to Cover Pension Debt Today, Stand for Children Illinois released an update to its 2015 report that details how Illinois siphons federal funds earmarked for needy students away from school districts to pay pension debt. The practice of tapping federal funds through this TRS federal funds surcharge to cover […]
As the Illinois State Board of Education gets closer to finalizing regulations implementing the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Stand for Children Illinois submitted comments offering feedback to strengthen the next draft of the plan. Stand’s suggestions include: More clearly incorporating subgroup scores in school ratings. This should be an integral part of school ratings: the new […]
There are about 860 school districts in Illinois and just one of them is responsible for paying the employer costs of their teachers’ pensions: Chicago Public Schools. The State covers the cost for the rest. Neither the State nor CPS has been a model financial steward for this responsibility—both the State and CPS now have […]
Last December, Congress replaced No Child Left Behind (NCLB) with the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The shift gives states significantly more flexibility about how to identify schools that are succeeding and support for schools that are struggling. Remember how NCLB labelled virtually every school as failing? That’s right, in the last few years, schools […]
It’s a truth universally acknowledged that a dramatic school funding formula overhaul must be accompanied by a “Hold Harmless.” (OK, maybe not universally, but school funding changes almost always include a provision that protects districts from getting less money than they used to. That’s a “Hold Harmless.”) As Springfield continues working on school funding reform, the concept […]
