Making your voice heard on education
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INPUT SOUGHT — The Illinois State Board of Education is now accepting community input on state funding priorities for public education for fiscal year 2027.
MOUNT VERNON — The Illinois State Board of Education is now accepting community input on state funding priorities for public education for fiscal year 2027.
According to an ISBE news release, members of the public can submit funding requests in writing on the ISBE Agency Budget Information webpage. ISBE is inviting Illinois’ school leaders, teachers, parents and community advocates to make budget proposals that will have the greatest impact on their students. Past requests have led to increased investments in Career and Technical Education, National Board Certification, alternative education and more, the release states.
There will also be budget hearings/listening sessions held to gather input as well, officials said.
“I am glad that the State of Illinois opens that up for input so (that) they can make budget recommendations for education, as well as all other areas of the state budget,” said Ryan Swan, superintendent of Mount Vernon City Schools District 80.
Melanie Andrews, senior director of the Regional Office of Education 13, headquartered in Mount Vernon, said that she appreciates ISBE’s willingness to gather opinions from not only school personnel but community members across the state.
“I think it’s very important for not only educators but also parents and community leaders to learn about the funding that ISBE has for our schools and then also to help guide them in making recommendations as to how to best allocate that money in our local communities,” Andrews said. “I don’t want anybody to think that what people bring to these listening sessions doesn’t matter, because I’ve attended them in the past and the ISBE staff personnel truly want to know and take the feedback back to Springfield and use that to shape budget decisions.”
Feedback from community members, educators, students, families and advocates will help guide ISBE’s advocacy for equitable funding for all Illinois students, and will form the basis for the board’s budget recommendation to Gov. JB Pritzker and the General Assembly in January of 2026, the news release states.
Anyone with a funding request must submit their written testimony via the Budget Hearing Form. More information and instructions are available on the ISBE Agency Budget Information webpage.
Those who have submitted written testimony may also speak at one of three budget hearings that have been scheduled. ISBE will give equal consideration to all written and oral testimony.
The first hearing will be an in-person event that will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. on Sept. 30 in the Board Room at 100 N. First St. in Springfield. The other two are virtual hearings scheduled for 1 to 4 p.m. on Oct. 16 and from 4 to 7 p.m. on Oct. 21.
People who need special accommodations, including language translation services, should contact ISBE’s Language Access Coordinator Diana Torres at dtorres@isbe.net or at (312) 814-5818 at least two weeks in advance of the event.
“Even though this school year is just starting, it’s already time for school leaders to begin taking stock of their fiscal priorities for next year,” said State Superintendent of Education Dr. Tony Sanders in the news release. “We’re asking anyone with a hand in public education to share with us what statewide programs we should ask the legislature to prioritize and what will help maximize our state resources. While we are heading into another tight fiscal year, we want public input to shape our annual state budget recommendation.”
ISBE Board Chair Dr. Steven Isoye said in the release that the board greatly values the insights and perspectives of community members in “shaping the state’s education budget.”
“Every submission and testimony helps us understand the needs of students and educators across Illinois,” Isoye said. “We also want to thank Governor Pritzker and the members of the General Assembly for their ongoing support of public education, which allows us to continue investing in programs that make a difference in classrooms and communities statewide.”
