2 days ago
Illinois lawmakers allocate $35M to after-school programs
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — After months of demands from after-school advocates and tough budget decisions, lawmakers have allocated $35 million for after-school programs in the budget they passed at the end of May.
Now, programs like the Central Illinois Boys and Girls Clubs are counting on the distribution of that funding and hoping to restart some of the services they lost. The lack of funding has had a ripple effect on many programs across the state, according to ACT Now.
Illinois bill ending scam gym membership tactic heads to governor's desk
In the District 186 Springfield area, 15 after-school programs were left unfunded last June, said Executive Director of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Illinois, Tiffany Mathis Posey. This included eight of the programs ran by the Central Illinois Boys and Girls Clubs and seven by the Springfield Urban League.
Posey said the new funding will have a huge impact on what she calls a 'vital program.'
'What that would look like is restoring the programs that have gone unfunded or that will not reopen,' she said. 'You know, we do this work, we know what we're doing; we want to make sure that kids are supported. And so to have another avenue of funding available to provide after-school programs would be widely impactful.'
After the federal funding for the program dried up, the General Assembly allocated $50 million in last year's budget, which was set to begin in July, but that money is still on hold. Afterschool for Children and Teens Now (ACT Now) said the delay in funding will leave more than 2,000 people unemployed and affect more than 27,000 kids.
READ MORE: New Illinois laws and tax changes set to kick in on July 1, 2025
When Governor J.B. Pritzker signed the new budget into law, the $35 million will be directed to the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to distribute. We reached out to ISBE about the guidelines for distributing the new funds.
'After-school funding for FY26 will be allocated in accordance with ISBE's Part 268 rules,' a spokesperson from ISBE said.
Advocates for after-school programs said they are now at the mercy of ISBE, and that the agency typically distributes funds to school districts.
Previously, the funding was supposed to be split into two groups half to school districts and the other half to nonprofits. The general assembly didn't reappropriate the $50 millions to the next year fund.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
