SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) today applauded Governor JB Pritzker’s fiscal year 2025 budget proposal for reinforcing Illinois’ nation-leading commitment to education. Governor Pritzker’s FY 2025 budget proposal announced today includes critical increases for Evidence-Based Funding, expanding preschool through the Smart Start initiative, Career and Technical Education (CTE), and special education Mandated Categorial grants; as well as continued funding for the Teacher Vacancy Grant and Computer Science Equity Grant; and new funding to support the implementation of the state’s literacy plan.
“I applaud Gov. Pritzker for his continued commitment to Illinois’ students and his recognition of the critical importance of thriving, well-funded public schools to the strength of communities all across Illinois,” said State Superintendent of Education Dr. Tony Sanders. “His FY 2025 budget proposal includes significant and critical funding increases for education, while balancing a tight fiscal environment. U.S. News and World Reports already ranks Illinois number five in Pre-K-12 Education, number two in College Readiness, and number eight in Preschool Enrollment. The Governor’s advocacy and leadership for education in FY 2025 will take Illinois even closer to our goal of being the best state in the nation to raise family.”
The governor’s FY 2025 budget proposal advocates for significant increases to education funding to continue making Illinois the best place to raise a family, including:
- $350 million increase for Evidence-Based Funding to continue providing school districts with reliable and predictable increases that afford school districts much-needed stability;
- $75 million increase for the Smart Start initiative to further expand access to preschool and close gaps for low-income children and families;
- $45 million for the second year of the Teacher Vacancy Grant Pilot Program to continue strengthening the teacher pipeline;
- $10 million increase for Career and Technical Education to support growth in CTE enrollment and to ensure all systems experience level or increased funding as ISBE implements the new, more equitable CTE funding formula;
- $30 million increase for Mandated Categorical grants to raise the proration level for specific special education line items;
- $3 million for the second year of the Computer Science Equity Grant Program to further expand access to computer science education; and
- $3 million in new funding to support the implementation of the recently adopted Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan.
U.S. News and World Report ranks Illinois fifth in the nation for Pre-K-12 Education, second for College Readiness, eighth for Preschool Enrollment, eleventh for NAEP Reading Scores, and twelfth for Education overall. CNBC ranks Illinois second in the nation for Education.