Dear fellow educators,
The future of education in our state is in jeopardy, but over the next 11 days we have an opportunity for change which is why we need you to take action immediately.
As teachers in Illinois who believe each and every student in the state deserves an education which prepares them for the future, we support Senate Bill 231, Better Funding for Better Schools. This bill goes a long way to rectify the inequitable education funding around Illinois. By taking into account factors such as levels of student poverty, size of ELL populations, and availability of local resources, SB 231 will help ensure that the students with the most needs get more funding rather than less. The Illinois Senate has acted by passing Better Funding for Better Schools, but to make this law a reality, we must urge the House and Governor to act on this bill during the legislative session which ends May 31.
Now is the time for action! To ensure equal access to quality education in the state, we need you to do the following:
1) Send a letter to your elected officials – especially in the IL House of Representatives – to let them know you support SB 231. This takes less than one minute, and you can use this link: www.fundingilfuture.org/
2) Thank your senator for voting yes on SB 231 and encourage your representative to do so by calling their office, sending them a tweet on Twitter, and/or tagging them in a Facebook post. Here is the roll call of senators and their votes on SB 231. If you do not know who your senator is, look it up here.
Do not let this historic opportunity pass us by. We have the chance to fix Illinois’ broken education funding system and ensure that districts with the greatest financial and student needs receive the dollars they need to provide equity in funding to every child in every classroom.
Don’t let up on your efforts! Thank you for your continued support of this effort for our schools and students!
Sincerely,
August Brill, Special Education, Orozco Academy
Katie Curtin, Journalism, Pritzker College Prep
Jillian Onque, Math, Robert Grimes School
Jim Staros, Social Science Teacher, King College Prep
