March 2026 Newsletter

Greetings!

Things are continuing to move quickly: as primary elections and committee hearings are underway, we have several events for you to join to support funding for Illinois public schools! Here are a few exciting opportunities we have for you to plug in to our work.

Anti School Voucher Panel! 

On the eve of the Illinois primary elections, we are bringing together public education advocates, parents and community members for a panel to discuss the real harms of school vouchers. In the midst of the election season and with the legislative session ramping up, we are urging our state leaders to reject both federal voucher programs and misleading ballot initiatives that promote them. 

Our panelists will discuss the impacts of voucher programs in other states, provide context on the history of vouchers in Illinois, highlight how they divert public tax dollars away from neighborhood public schools, and the ways you can advocate against these measures. Every child no matter their race, income, or zip code deserves a great education in a well-funded public school. Voucher schemes threaten our neighborhood schools, who need that funding more than ever. 

Join us via Zoom on Monday, March 16 at 6:00pm for a discussion on the real harms of school vouchers. Sign up to attend here! 

THIS Tuesday! Making the Grade: How school funding impacts educational equity in Illinois

Fully funding Illinois public schools is long overdue. Join us to learn about how school funding distribution and deep inequities create a mixed bag of results when it comes to education equity in Illinois. Tuesday March 10 at 1:00pm CT we will hold a webinar to discuss the problems and solutions to ensuring every student in Illinois has equal access to opportunity . We’ll be joined by the Education Law Center and UIC’s Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy highlighting their reports: Making the Grade 2025 and Racism, Resistance, & Reform Across Chicagoland.

Register here to join us!  

PEER Illinois Advocacy Day 

Another reminder to please mark your calendars – PEER Illinois is hosting an advocacy day on April 15. If you’re interested in attending, please reach out to us at peer@ilraiseyourhand.org and we’ll save a spot for you!

Closing

Thanks so much for reading and be on the lookout for our updates and information about how you can get involved in the fight for public education this session!