The Illinois State Board of Education approved a nearly $11.4 billion budget request this week for the upcoming fiscal year, amounting to a 4.6% increase from this year, as the state prepares to face a substantial budget deficit.

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois State Board of Education is encouraging local school districts to adopt clear policies spelling out how and when their staff should cooperate with federal immigration officials carrying out enforcement actions or seeking information from school officials.

Some Illinois school boards allow all resident children – including private and homeschooled kids – to participate in district activities. That should be the case for all taxpaying families in all districts.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Illinois State Board of Education voted Wednesday to approve a budget request for the upcoming fiscal year of nearly $11.4 billion, a 4.6% increase over this year’s budget, despite projections that the state will face a substantial revenue shortfall next year.

In Illinois, sex education isn’t a requirement in health classes, leaving the decision to teach it to individual schools and parents.

The block grant allocated $32.2 million for the 2025 fiscal year to 91 grantees. That funding is serving 4,008 children in half-day preschool and 1,142 in full-day preschool, as well as providing support services for 512 children under the age of 3.

"Guidance reinforces students’ right to education, regardless of immigration status, and advises school districts to develop local policies," ISBE said.

NAEP scores for Chicago Public Schools, Illinois’ largest public school district, show that the district’s eighth graders had significantly higher scores in math and reading scores in 2024 when compared to their peers in 2022. Chicago’s fourth graders had higher math scores than previous groups of students, but lower reading scores.

The Illinois State Board of Education is encouraging local school districts to adopt clear policies spelling out how and when their staff should cooperate with federal immigration officials ...

Illinois’ eighth-graders outperformed national averages in reading and math, according to the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results released Wednesday. And Illinois

Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois State Board of Education announced Friday the state of Illinois has announced it will add 5,150 publicly funded preschool seats as part of a plan to reach universal preschool by 2027. A total of 11,000 seats have been added since the start of the program.

The budget recommends an overall 4% increase, which represents an increase of $108.8 million, in higher education funding, excluding the State University Retirement System (SURS).