PEER Illinois Responds to Statewide Public School Budget Cuts, Call for Investment over Divestment
Cutting these essential positions, programs & schools will have long-term effects on our Black and Latine students
(SPRINGFIELD, IL - May 26, 2026) It’s budget season and schools across the state are announcing cuts to programs, staff, and some schools are even closing down altogether due to changes in state and federal policy that have resulted in funding cuts for schools. Throughout the state, continued divestment has detrimental impacts on our students. Illinois lawmakers have a choice to invest in public schools and preserve these necessary resources by fully funding the Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) formula and passing progressive revenue measures to enable a strong social service network so that our communities are not always the first to feel the impacts of funding cuts.
To name a few examples – recently, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) announced plans to cut teaching and some assistant principal roles to address their over $700 million dollar deficit. In April, the Freeport School Board in Freeport, Illinois announced they were cutting 54 staff positions. And in Plainfield, the Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202 are considering staff reductions and increased class sizes to meet their budgetary concerns. These are all school districts navigating persistent underfunding based on the EBF.
“It is extremely frustrating to see cuts to school staff and programs because we know there are solutions available to help mitigate the impacts of state and federal funding cuts, like fully funding our Evidence-Based Funding formula and taxing the wealthiest residents in our state,” said Maddy Wheelock, PEER Illinois Coalition Coordinator. “It’s a choice not to address persistent underfunding of our public schools. We urge Illinois lawmakers to choose investment over divestment to ensure all students in our state can thrive.”
The legislative session is soon coming to a close. These proposed cuts should be a wakeup call for lawmakers to support the proposals in front of them for progressive revenue and invest more urgently in EBF. Budgets are moral documents – they show what our state lawmakers deeply care about. Lawmakers have the potential to unlock a new hope for CPS, and for so many schools across the state by making sure big corporations and our wealthiest residents pay what they owe.
Tomorrow, hundreds of advocates are traveling to Springfield to voice their concerns about the need for increased state revenue to fund public schools and other essential public programs that need support due to the federal administration’s cuts. The Illinois Revenue Alliance has proposed progressive revenue proposals that would generate over $4 billion annually and transform our communities with this added new revenue:
Illinois Revenue Alliance Initiatives:
Digital Advertising tax - SB3353 (Peters) | HB4894 (N. Hernandez)
Corporate tax reporting - SB3486 (Martwick) | HB5318 (West)
Billionaire wealth tax - SB3376 (Villa) | HB5215 (Mah)
Closing corporate tax loopholes - SB3796 (Collins) | HB5125 (LaPointe)
Legislators, the clock is ticking. Students, families, and communities need your help now.