Jones-Backed Plan Secures Over $6 Million in New State Funding for Local Schools

CALUMET CITY, Ill. – Local schools will receive over $6 million in new funding for classroom education under a plan supported by state Rep. Thaddeus Jones, D-Calumet City.

“For too long, wealthy suburban school districts have prospered, while schools in our area struggled to receive fair funding,” Jones said. “I joined with my colleagues in passing the first education funding reform measure in over 20 years to give all of our children the education they deserve.”

Jones worked across the aisles with Democrats and Republicans to come up with a plan that fixes Illinois’ broken funding formula. This provides fair funding for schools statewide—without picking winners and losers—and secures an additional $6 million in new funding for local schools.

The measure was supported by education reform groups and educators from across the state, including local superintendents.

“Every child in Illinois deserves to have access to a high-quality education and for too long in Illinois this was not the case,” said Nathaniel Cunningham, Jr., superintendent of Crete-Monee School District 201- U. “The plan supported by Representative Jones will hopefully provide nearly an additional $500,000 in new funding to help educate our students.”

“Education funding reform is a big deal that is going to help level the playing field for schools not only in our area, but across the state,” said Kevin Nohelty, superintendent of Dolton-Riverdale School District 148. “I would like to thank Representative Jones and his colleagues for compromising and passing this historic reform.”