Articles and Press Releases

September 2022

The Partnership for Equity and Education Rights (PEER IL) officially announces their launch as a statewide advocacy network working to drive reinvestment in public education.

Coalition partners include: Raise Your Hand, Chicago Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights, Brighton Park Neighborhood Council, IL Families for Public Schools, Palenque LSNA, HACES, Chicago United for Equity, Poor People’s Project, Ace Project and Peoria Friendship House.

Read the Chalkbeat article here.

Jan 4, 2021

Signed onto an amicus brief in the Illinois Supreme Court urging the Court to permit a lawsuit challenging inequitable school funding to proceed to trial. You can read more on the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights (CLC) blog: Education and Civil Rights Groups Urge Illinois Supreme Court to Hear School Funding Case.

February 21, 2024

Members from PEER IL respond to Governor Pritzker’s annual State of the State Address. He followed the Illinois State Board of Education’s recommendation of $350 million for public schools in Illinois. Continuously ignoring the reality of underfunded public schools will leave long term, detrimental impacts for the next generation of students. In order to fully fund Illinois public schools, there must be a greater investment in Evidence- Based Funding (EBF). Read the PEER-IL statement to ISBE here. 

October 30, 2023

Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights, Raise Your Hand, and Brighton Park Neighborhood Council spoke on behalf of PEER IL at the IL State Board of Education (ISBE) hearing on Monday, October 30. PEER IL also submitted a written statement. Read the PEER-IL statement to ISBE here. 

"We urge ISBE to advocate for an increased investment in K-12 funding that meets the moment and sets the conditions necessary to meet the 2027 adequacy target.”

May 2023

The PEER IL coalition traveled to Springfield, IL to advocate for HB3446, the Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) spending transparency bill.

On May 16th, Beatriz Diaz-Pollack, Director of Education Equity at Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, provided testimony in support of HB 3446 in front of The Illinois House Secondary Education Committee during a subject matter hearing. Read Beatriz’ testimony here.

Watch the recap of our time advocating in Springfield here.

May 20, 2020

Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights spoke on behalf of PEER IL at the monthly meeting of the IL State Board of Education (ISBE). Read the PEER-IL statement to ISBE here. 

"Accountability to equity requires that families be part of the decision-making process for how COVID related funding is spent. "

July 2021

PEER Survey asks the question: If your school district were to become fully funded, what would your top funding priorities be?