ROCKFORD — Fulfilling the evidence-based funding commitment for Illinois schools, State Senator Steve Stadelman announced that school districts in the 34th District will receive over $5 million additional dollars to help address the financial challenges schools have faced.

“Illinois students deserve the best educational opportunities and with the evidence-based funding formula we are ensuring our schools have the tools they need,” said Stadelman (D-Chicago).

“I am glad we have made it a priority to fund schools across Illinois to ensure that more educational opportunities are available to students.”

The funding comes from the 2017 Illinois Senate Democrat-backed evidence-based funding formula — an overhaul of the way the state funds K-12 education. The law made school funding more equitable by calculating the needs of individual school districts and basing its state revenue on those needs. The formula takes into account a district’s total enrollment, poverty rate and number of special education or English language learners, among other factors.

Local schools set to receive funding through the formula include:

  *   Belvidere Community Unit School District 100: $2,381,222

  *   Rockford Public Schools: $2,920,485

  *   Harlem School District 122: $400,956

  *   Alternative and Safe Schools Programs (Boone-Winnebago Regional Office of Education): $27,330

The Fiscal Year 2024 budget invested $350 million in new funding into students’ success through the evidence-based funding model.

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