We are contacting you to strongly protest the potential transfer $305.2 million in Special Education categorical funding to the General State Aid formula.

The movement of categorical funds into the General State Aid formula will lead to a catastrophic reduction in money needed to provide services to students with disabilities in our school system in Evanston, IL. The Evanston community is unique among Chicago North Shore districts in that a significant portion of our students are on free/reduced lunch.  For Evanston schools, this would mean reallocating approximately $670,000 from special education budgets (ETHS D202 $-216,046 and D65 $-457,267).

The State of Illinois is tasked with providing high-quality educational opportunities for ALL students, including those of the greatest need and yet, the Illinois State Board of Education has recommended pushing the entire burden onto a few local school districts, which receive minimal return from the current General State Aid formula. These districts rely on money from the mandated categoricals to supplement local revenues to fund special education.

If the items prescribed in each student’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP) cannot be met and/or if the IEP's of future disabled students are inappropriately limited due to lack of state funding, this will raise costly legal problems for the local school districts, as well as the State of Illinois. In addition, it sends the negative message that the State of Illinois does not make the education of it's disabled students a priority and their education is not worthy of protection. Failing to protect a disabled student’s right to a free and appropriate public education is shortsighted, as it is a path to independence. If these disabled students are not educated now, they will certainly become more profoundly dependent on the State of Illinois in the future.

PLEASE protect children with disabilities in the State of Illinois and OPPOSE the Illinois State Board of Education’s recommendation to move Special Education mandated categoricals into the General State Aid formula.