Latest news with #ISBE
Axios
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Axios
New Illinois bill would require homeschool families to notify state or face truancy
Illinois lawmakers are considering a new bill that would require parents to tell the state when they choose to home school their children. Why it matters: Illinois does not require parents and guardians to notify schools when they pull kids from the district, leaving no mechanism to monitor if students are meeting necessary benchmarks. Supporters of the bill say it will prevent kids from slipping through the cracks. State of play: Current required subjects for home school students, according to the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), are: Language arts, math, biological and physical science, social studies, fine arts and physical development and health. There are no specific classes or duration of study required in those subjects. There is no requirement to administer tests, projects or grades or mandate to report any student assessment to the state. Parents or guardians do not need a high school diploma or GED to homeschool. Zoom in: The bill would require the ISBE to create a Homeschool Declaration Form that homeschool families submit to the school district where the child would otherwise attend. If the form's not submitted, the student would be considered truant. If a child wants to enroll in a public school or school activities, they will need to have required immunizations or a signed Certificate of Religious Exemption. Context: Rep. Terra Costa Howard (D-Lombard), the bill's sponsor, told WGN she introduced the legislation in February after a ProPublica investigation last year reported on a homeschooled boy in central Illinois who told welfare officials he was beaten, denied food and had no school lessons. Howard, who is also chair of the Adoption and Child Welfare Committee and an attorney involved in child welfare, said the concern in cases like that is the lack of adults who could spot and report signs of abuse at home. "For the vast majority of homeschooling families, these changes will have minimal impact," Howard told Axios in a statement. "The intent of this bill is to help in cases of child abuse, in which adults are claiming to 'homeschool' in an attempt to isolate children, or when families are flagrantly neglecting their legal responsibility to educate their children, in violation of the principles of homeschooling." The other side: The Illinois Home School Association in a statement calls the bill "a very expensive unfunded mandate," and that many parents have chosen this route because "the public school system is clearly failing many of our students." "This bill will not save lives. In every single case they have brought to us of an abused child not in school it has become clear that Child Protection Services already knew of the family and was stretched too thin to help," the association added. Reality check: The bill would ask that parents maintain a simple portfolio providing evidence of education in required subjects, in the case that a truancy investigation is launched. "Nothing in the bill provides for random investigations or 'checks' by a local school district or Regional Office of Education," Howard said. Yes, but: ISBE does recommend that home schoolers check what colleges require if students plan on applying. Zoom out: Homeschooling became more popular during the pandemic and stuck through the 2022-23 school year, a Washington Post analysis found. The Post estimated there were between 1.9 million and 2.7 million home-schooled children in the United States that year. Yes, but: Illinois is not included in the analysis since families are not required to notify the state when they decide to homeschool.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Illinois reports success in teacher recruiting program
The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) reports its recruiting program to address the ongoing teacher shortage has been a success. 'The Answer is Teaching' campaign focuses on recruiting teachers by individualized support and the sharing of testimonies. Since the program launched last July, ISBE has been contacted by more than 17,000 prospective teachers who were encouraged to start a career in teaching. The Illinois State Board of Education estimates there are nearly 4,000 teacher openings in the state. Almost one-third of those vacancies are for special education teachers. In the last two years, Illinois has invested $45 million in teacher vacancy grants. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
ISBE celebrates success of teacher recruitment marketing campaign
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — The Illinois State Board of Education is celebrating the success of a recruiting program designed to alleviate the ongoing teacher shortage. ISBE's 'The Answer is Teaching' campaign focused on recruiting teachers by sharing testimonies and individualized support. The $6 million media campaign advertised in both Spanish and English to potential teachers in urban and rural areas along with neighboring states. Rantoul Superintendent discusses Dept. of Education cuts From the campaign's duration — the beginning of July to the end of January — the agency was contacted by more than 17,000 potential teachers from many walks of life. 'The outpouring of interest in teaching in Illinois tells us people at many different stages of life want a career with great benefits, competitive pay, and personal fulfillment,' State Superintendent of Education Dr. Tony Sanders said in a statement. 'At ISBE, we are committed to not only raising awareness about the benefits of teaching in Illinois but also removing barriers whether financial, informational, or logistical that may stand in a candidate's way.' This comes after the latest annual teacher shortage report, which found a 5.6% decrease in the number of unfilled positions statewide. The marketing campaign targeted common areas with many vacant positions like bilingual teachers, special education teachers, urban and rural teachers. 'It's a global problem': Central IL districts, administators, react to school vacancy report 'We don't just want more applicants to the school districts and the subjects that are already getting a lot of applicants,' Jackie Matthews, the Executive Director of Communications, said in a statement. 'We want to attract and make sure that our teacher supply is matching the demand. In the last two years, Illinois has invested $45 million in teacher vacancy grants to help school districts hire and retain teachers. The website for the campaign will remain active. Those interested in applying can still submit their contact information to get personalized emails and more resources on the steps needed before becoming a teacher in Illinois. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump administration cancels grant allowing Illinois schools to buy from local farmers
A federal fund has been cut that provided Illinois schools and childcare centers with healthy foods from local farms and suppliers. The Trump administration on March 7 canceled $26.3 million in grant funds that would have supported Illinois schools, childcare sites, and farmers through 2028, according to a news release from the Illinois State Board of Education. Here's what you need to know. More: Accessing local journalism is even easier with the State Journal-Register app The agreement would have supported up to 4,017 public and nonpublic schools and 1,250 childcare sites in purchasing "high-quality, locally grown, fresh food from Illinois farmers to use in meals and snacks," ISBE said. The existing grant supported approximately 2,100 schools serving over 1 million students in purchasing locally grown food from 138 different farms and ranches across the state. $7.4 million from a pre-existing grant will be available to grantees through the end of January 2026, ISBE said. Other states, too, were notified recently that the USDA had cut the funding for the program for 2025, according to USA Today. Local Food for Schools and Local Food for Schools and Child Care are two different local food funding opportunities. LFS was set to conclude on Jan. 31, 2026, and then LFSCC would have been able to start if it had not been terminated, a spokesperson for ISBE wrote in an email. That $26.3 million that was canceled would have broken down to approximately $17.8 million for schools over the three years plus $8.5 million for childcare over the three years. The program sought to strengthen the food system for schools and childcare institutions by helping to build a "fair, competitive, and resilient local food chain, and expand local and regional markets with an emphasis on purchasing from historically underserved producers and processors," the USDA website says on the program's page. More: Egg prices have climbed amidst an avian flu outbreak. Here's what it means for Illinois Similarly, the Illinois Department of Agriculture announced on March 4 the end for two grant programs that use federal funds to buy food from growers and producers and distribute it to foodbanks, as well as a program that offers better market opportunities and new streams of revenue to small and mid-sized agricultural producers. Altogether, the USDA has cut over $1 billion nationwide in funding in recent months from initiatives that look to help schools and food banks purchase from local farmers. More: Nearly $2B has not been paid to Illinois by feds, Gov. Pritzker and others say ISBE began participating in the LFS program in August of 2023. The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a termination notice to ISBE for the grant program. Tom Ackerman covers breaking news and trending news along with general news for the Springfield State Journal-Register. He can be reached at tackerman@ This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Federal grant cut in Illinois that feeds children with local farm food
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
ISBE: Trump Administration cancels funding that helps feed kids
HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) – The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) says the Trump Administration on March 7 canceled funding to the Local Food for Schools and Child Care Cooperative Agreement that would have supported up to 4,017 Illinois public and nonpublic schools and 1,250 child care sites in purchasing 'high-quality, locally-grown, fresh food' from Illinois farmers to use in meals and snacks. Officials say the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued a termination notice to the ISBE for the grant program that would have provided $26.3 million to Illinois schools, child care sites and local farmers through 2028. Governor Beshear talks Paducah business expansion, weather recovery 'The decision to cancel this funding is deeply disappointing and a disservice to Illinois children, families, and farmers,' said State Superintendent of Education Dr. Tony Sanders. 'These grants were designed to ensure that students in our schools and child care centers have access to fresh, locally-sourced food while also supporting our state's agricultural economy. This funding was essential to provide Illinois schools and child care sites with nutritious meals that fuel learning and growth.' Gov. Braun announces initiative to continue funding for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library The ISBE says the Local Food for Schools and Child Care Cooperative Agreement grant was the second round of funding for the Local Food for Schools program, expanded to allow for the participation of child care centers. ISBE signed its agreement for $26.3 million on January 30, but the funds will now never reach Illinois schools and farmers. Schools would have received approximately $17.8 million and child care institutions would have received approximately $8.5 million over the course of the next three years to purchase 'high-quality, fresh and nutritious' food from local farmers to use in the meals and snacks served to children. Officials say Illinois' pre-existing Local Food for Schools grant totaling $7.4 million remains intact, and the funds are available to grantees through January 31, 2026. The existing grant has supported approximately 2,100 schools serving over 1 million students in purchasing locally-grown food from 138 different farms and ranches across the state. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
