Public Education is Critical to Our American Democracy - 250 Years Later, Can Illinois Genuinely Lead in Protecting and Advancing Educational Opportunity?

On America’s 250th birthday, fully and fairly funded public education remains an unmet promise in our democracy

(SPRINGFIELD, IL - July 1, 2026): This week, PEER Illinois reflects on America celebrating its 250th anniversary through the lens of public education funding in our state. Public schools are critical to our democracy,  and have provided opportunities for society’s greatest leaders, everyday Illinoisans, and serve 1.8 million students in our state today. 

Public schools equip young people with literacy, critical thinking, civics, and an honest engagement with our country’s history. This work enables them to become engaged members of a democratic society. American scholar and civil rights pioneer, W. E. B. Du Bois argued that the right to an education that prepares people to think critically and fully exercise their rights is fundamental to dismantling inequality and safeguarding democracy itself. 

Each student deserves an education with the resources necessary to give them everything they need to succeed, thrive and meaningfully participate in our American democracy upon graduation. Unfortunately, we still have not yet reached that promise for most children in the state.

PEER Illinois has run the numbers and has the stories to back up what we’re fighting for. This year, we launched a new interactive funding tool showing how far Illinois school districts are from adequate funding, and how much is needed to make up that funding under the Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) formula. Additionally, we are launching a storytelling page where all stakeholders and decision-makers can view stories of parents and students who have experienced all parts of school funding in this state and are calling for transformational change. 

Nine years ago, Illinois and state lawmakers made a promise to its public schools students. They worked together to create a new school funding formula, aptly named the Evidence-Based Funding Formula (EBF). EBF is intended to be a progressive, need-based school funding formula meant to remedy the underfunding and inequity that Illinois was facing before 2017.  

Years of minimal increases to funding later and many kicks of the can down the road from lawmakers, the State of Illinois’ new budget is set to begin today, Wednesday, July 1. Budgets bring new opportunities for state leaders to document and operationalize their moral commitments, just as our founding fathers did 250 years ago. Unfortunately, the moral document that was passed last month isn’t going to cut it for our Illinois students and families. 

With just one year to go until the June 30, 2027 target set by Illinois lawmakers to reach “Adequate” funding of all our public schools through EBF, another year of minimum investment fails to meet Illinois’ stated commitment to be a champion for public education.

“Despite having only a year left to go, we are not new to this fight. PEER Illinois is made up of parents, students, researchers, legal advocates, and everyday community members who have been fighting for the freedoms that many Americans have never fully achieved,” said Maddy Wheelock, PEER Illinois Coalition Coordinator. “Black, Native American, immigrant, and low-income parents have always led the fight for our children’s education. And 250 years after our country’s inception, we are still fighting. Whether it’s demanding access and high quality learning opportunities for historically marginalized students, resisting ICE overreach into our communities or ensuring children have well-resourced schools with enough teachers, we’ve seen this and have won before. And we are going to work harder than ever to win again.”

For 250 years citizens have fought to realize the promise of America. Families have fought for their children’s rights to excellent public schools that genuinely prepare them for full participation in bringing about and benefiting from America’s promise. It’s past time to fully fund public schools so every child can continue to carry on that legacy and where all can have the freedom to learn and thrive.