State education leaders slashed $400 million in funding during an emergency meeting Tuesday for a slew of Illinois education programs that range from bilingual education to gifted education. Hundreds of thousands of children will feel the cuts when they return to the classroom this school year.
Lawmakers were able to raise per pupil funding by $160 for districts, which will now receive $6,119 for each student, because of the $2 billion in federal stimulus funds it received for the last fiscal year and this current one.
However, it wasn’t enough to stave off cuts to grant programs.
Early childhood programs took the largest hit, with a 33 percent funding reduction totaling $123.3 million. Other programs affected by the cuts include teacher recruitment and training, reading improvement, advanced placement courses, after school, and special education, among others.
You can see a list of all of the budget reductions on the Illinois State Board of Education’s website.