$50M appropriated for current year was never released, advocates argue
By PETER HANCOCK
Capitol News Illinois
phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com
SPRINGFIELD – Advocates for after-school programs that provide tutoring, recreation and other services made their case again Tuesday for a $50 million state appropriation to restore programs in some schools where funding has run out and to expand them into more schools.
“There are decades of research that supports that after-school programs improve school day performance, grades and attendance, helps reduce violence, and also supports working class families,” Rep. Aaron Ortiz, D-Chicago, told a House budget committee Tuesday.
Ortiz is the lead sponsor of House Bill 3082, which calls for $50 million to be distributed by the Illinois State Board of Education through a competitive grant program to entities that seek to provide tutoring and other enrichment services in high-poverty schools, where 40% or more of the students come from low-income households.
That’s the same amount of money advocates asked for, and lawmakers provided, in the current fiscal year’s budget. But 10 months into the fiscal year, those advocates say that money still has not been distributed.
“What we’ve been hearing is that the governor’s office has been waiting for legislative intent,” Susan Stanton, executive director of the advocacy group ACT Now, told the committee. “We’ve kind of heard things back and forth from both the governor’s office and ISBE and legislators. And we’ve yet to get a clear answer on why the money wasn’t released.”
The after-school programs have traditionally received federal funding through the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program, which distributes money for programs in high-poverty areas throughout the country.
Stanton, whose organization represents more than 2,000 after-school programs, said that Illinois typically receives about $56 million a year through that program. But in 2023, she said, ISBE over-allocated the funds it had available. As a result, it was unable to renew some of the grants that were expiring or open a new competitive grant cycle that year, resulting in a large number of after-school programs losing their funding and going out of business.
“The large-scale rolling-off of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers grants has led to 27,000 students losing programs and 2,000 staff members losing their jobs,” Stanton said. “Funding appropriated by this committee and the General Assembly would provide a lifeline to these students and bring back stability to the communities that need it most in Illinois.”
She said even with full federal funding, there is more need for after-school programs in Illinois than those funds would cover, and the additional state funds would make after-school programming more accessible throughout the state.
Stanton said during an interview after Tuesday’s committee hearing that she remains hopeful the $50 million included in the current budget will eventually be distributed. In the meantime, she said, her organization is pushing for funding in next year’s budget.
The governor’s office has said previously that the money was included in this year’s appropriations bill without any clear instructions about how to distribute it and that the administration has been consulting with legislative leaders about what their specific intent was for the money.
“We understand the urgency surrounding after-school programming and remain committed to ensuring that these resources are allocated in a way that best serves students and families across Illinois,” Pritzker’s press secretary Alex Gough said in an email statement Tuesday. “Per the last budget agreement, we are awaiting direction from the General Assembly as to where this funding will be distributed.”
Tuesday’s hearing was a “subject matter” discussion only, meaning the committee took no formal action on the bill. A final decision about whether the state will again allocate money for after-school programs will be made when lawmakers pass the final omnibus appropriations bill at the end of May.
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