ARLINGTON HEIGHTS – State Senator Ann Gillespie (D-Arlington Heights) is announcing that school districts in the 27th Senate District will receive over $91 million in additional funding to help address the many challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This year has been especially hard on teachers, students and parents,” Gillespie said. “These federal funds will help our students and schools succeed as we return to in-person learning.”
The funding comes as part of the most recent federal COVID-19 relief packages. Schools, students and parents have overcome challenges that no one could have imagined before the pandemic began, including remote and hybrid learning, digital connection issues, new processes for receiving state and federal aid that normally flow through schools, and more.
The following school districts are set to receive funds:
- Palatine CCSD 15
- Mount Prospect SD 57
- Prospect Heights SD 23
- Township HSD 211
- Arlington Heights SD 25
- Township HSD 214
- Community CSD 59
- Wheeling CCSD 21
- River Trails SD 26
The majority of the funding comes from the American Rescue Plan, which gives local schools a great deal of flexibility in how they can use the money over the next 3 ½ years. At least 20% of the funding must be used to address learning loss, but beyond that, school districts can use the money to address many different issues and costs. For example, it can be used to better equip schools for safe learning, to prevent layoffs, to address students’ social and emotional needs, to fund summer programs, or to ensure all students have access to reliable Wi-Fi and technology.
The State Board of Education, in collaboration with other state agencies that address education, has produced a guide for local school districts to help them decide how to best use their resources. While the guide and other state-sponsored services are completely voluntary, the state aims to support local districts during this difficult time.
In total, Illinois received nearly $7 billion to support local school districts.
