The Illinois General Assembly adopted a $46 billion state budget early Saturday morning before concluding the spring session. The FY 23 budget includes increases in funding for public education at all levels and provides tax relief for Illinois families. Throughout the spring, a variety of measures to support educators (most notably the COVID administrative days and paycheck protection bill) and improve working conditions for IFT members were passed.
Budget Overview
K12 Funding
Evidence Based Funding: $350 million increase (includes funding to correct an $87 million calculation error that overpaid a small number of districts and underpaid others)
Nation Board Certified Teachers: $1.5 million (same as FY 22)
Freedom Schools: $17 million (same as FY 22)
Student assessment: $40 million ($1.5 million less than FY 22)
Early childhood education grants (ISBE): increase of $50 million
Higher Education
Public universities: average funding increase of 5% (increase was applied to FY 22 and then level funded from FY 22 to FY 23)
Monetary Award Program (MAP): $122 million increase
AIM High: $35 million (same as FY 22)
Grow Your Own: $2.5 million (same as FY 22)
Community Colleges
City Colleges: 5% increase
Community college base operating grants: 10% increase
Equalization grants: 5% increase
Pensions
Full payment to TRS, SUS, and SERS
Additional $500 million to pension debt spread across FY 22 and FY 23
New Programs
Early childhood education programs at community colleges: $50 million
Wellness Checks in Schools Program (Dept. of Healthcare and Family Services): $5 million
Educators Rising: $400k
STEAM grants: $2.5 million
CPS Trauma Response: $1.6 million
CPS CTE funding: $5 million
Teacher computer science training (ICCB): $1 million
Teacher reimbursement grant program: $2 million
Pipeline for the Advancement of Healthcare (PATH) Program at community colleges: $25 million
Social worker scholarship and loan repayment program (ISAC): $6 million
Trade schools: $5 million
Labor history and workers’ rights coursework to be included in applied science degree in electric vehicle technology
Heartland Community College (Normal): $150,000
Southern Illinois Community College (Belleville): $150,000
Tax Relief (SB 157)
Property tax relief: doubling the state property tax rebate which could return as much as $300 to a household that pays property taxes.
Additional property tax relief measures were contained in SB 1975. A notable and welcomed requirement of the bill is that the Department of Revenue will study the impact of the disabled veteran homestead exemption in St. Clair, Lake, Will, Madison, Rock Island, and DuPage Counties. The study will be completed by June 30, 2023.
Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC): doubling the EITC to reduce the tax liability for low- and moderate-income families. This will apply to individuals who earn less than $200,000 a year and joint filers with a combined income of less than $400,000.
Classroom materials tax credit: doubling of the credit from $250 to $500
Back to School tax holiday on school supplies and clothing from Aug. 5 to Aug. 14 of 2022
Requirement for districts with cash balances to publicly disclose that information
The Budget Implementation Bill (BIMP) is a bill passed each year that complements the spending plan. Highlights of the BIMP (HB 4700) include:
Creation of the Climate Jobs Institute at the School of Labor and Employment Relations at U of I with the task of evaluating initiatives, including the Public Schools Carbon-Free Assessment programs, to retrofit schools for energy efficiencies to create a safe, healthy, cost-effective school environment while contributing to an environmentally sustainable state
Establishes a Significant Loss Grant Program for Galatia and Shawnee School Districts, which faced a significant loss in property tax revenue after a large business in the area failed
Exempts a school district that was in disrepair from having to garner matching funds for rebuilding a new school building (Venice School District)
Establishes the Pipeline for the Advancement of the Healthcare (PATH) Workforce program and requires ISBE to write administrative rules
Allows the award of MAP grants to students seeking certificates or credentials (previously, just degrees)
Transfers the Nursing Education Scholarship Law responsibilities from IBHE to ISAC
One-time waiver of licensure fees for social workers, doctors, nurses, physician assistants, and pharmacists
Allows Decatur SD 161 to utilize federal relief dollars without a referendum to build a new school building