PEER Illinois Responds to Passed FY27 Illinois Budget
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 20, 2026
CONTACT:
Thomas Marshall
PEER Illinois
tmarshall@clccrul.org
Zindy Marquez
Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights
zmarquez@clccrul.org
312.202.3657
PEER Illinois Responds to Passed FY27 Illinois Budget
Illinois lawmakers pass a minimum $350 million increase for EBF & boost revenue with a digital ads tax
(SPRINGFIELD, IL - June 1, 2026): Today, Illinois lawmakers passed a state budget that once again includes only the minimum increase of $350 million to the Evidence-Based Funding Formula (EBF). After months of advocacy spearheaded by the Illinois Revenue Alliance (ILRA), of which PEER Illinois is a member, lawmakers also passed a digital ads tax that should generate more than $1 billion in future years. While it is heartening to see additional investments made in our public education system and progressive revenue solutions advanced, Illinois is still far from meeting the needs of working families across the state, including the long journey of transforming our public schools by fully funding EBF.
With just one year to go until the June 30, 2027 target set by Illinois lawmakers for all K-12 students in Illinois to have access to a public education system with the resources necessary to deliver a high quality education, another year of minimum investment fails to meet Illinois’ stated commitment to be a champion for public education. Moreover, messaging increased funding at minimum annual level identified by the law as “fully-funding” EBF, does a disservice to the approximately 75% of Illinois students served in school districts that are under 90% of the adequacy targets set by EBF, the majority of whom are in the historically underinvested school systems the EBF law was designed to redress.
"Budgets are moral documents and even through countless hours of advocacy and bringing students and parents to the Capitol, Illinois lawmakers are far from fully funding the Evidence-Based Funding Formula leaving schools across the state with insufficient resources to learn and thrive,” said PEER Illinois Coalition Coordinator Maddy Wheelock. “If the goal is to have different results then we need to take different actions to prioritize communities who have been waiting too long for sufficient investment. Illinois families cannot wait much longer.”
The budget includes a $200,000 appropriation to the Illinois State Board of Education to address the “Low-Income Count” that is an important component of EBF. Modifications to this component of our state formula are necessary to address potential negative impacts and undercounting of students experiencing poverty arising from federal Public Law 119-21, President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act. We are encouraged to see resources directed to addressing this important issue and look forward to impacted communities’ engagement as Illinois works to address the potential undercounting of low-income populations and hopefully takes the opportunity to ensure this element of the formula genuinely works as intended.
The Illinois General Assembly also included a digital ads tax in the budget that will add more than $1 billion in state revenue, along with passing a modest bill to remove a Trump tax break from our state code. Both of these are a step in the right direction. But there’s so much more that we could be doing to ensure that billionaires and mega corporations pay their fair share. Nearly $3 billion was left on the table by not passing all of ILRA’s revenue package – and this money is clearly needed, for our education system and for all programs across Illinois.
Last week, we rallied with the Illinois Revenue Alliance (ILRA) to push forward progressive revenue solutions and heard from one of our student leaders, Magdalena, who put it best:
“If Illinois protects the state budget from harmful federal tax giveaways and other tax policies that prioritize the ultra-wealthy and corporations, we could have the money for students like me to have enough classroom supplies, enough teachers, enough counselors and maybe even keep our historic school communities together and vibrant.”
The Trump administration is touting massive cuts to programs that will impact historically marginalized communities and students of color the most and it is our state’s responsibility to counteract these harmful policies by making meaningful investments in public education and ensuring every student has access to the resources they need to thrive. It is also our state’s responsibility to protect the foundation of our educational system by demonstrating more urgency and courage in funding all school districts to 100% of Adequacy as defined by EBF.
Our state cannot celebrate its commitment to public education while postponing the investments needed to make that commitment a reality.
We have one year left to make good on our commitment to fully fund the EBF. Time is running out for Illinois to get serious about ensuring all students across the state, from Waukegan to East St. Louis have what they have been promised to thrive.
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The Partnership for Equity and Education Rights (PEER Illinois) is a statewide advocacy network of students, parents, community members, organizers, and advocates fighting for reinvestment in public schools so that every child receives an excellent education.