HIGHWOOD  – State Senator Julie Morrison is announcing that school districts across Cook and Lake counties will receive nearly $25 million in funding to help address the financial challenges of recent years.

“When schools are adequately funded, students have better outcomes – from better test scores to increased graduation rates,” said Morrison (D-Lake Forest). “The additional funding allocated to schools across the area will provide more curriculum options, better facilities and other resources to help students learn and grow.” 

The funding comes from the 2017 Illinois Senate Democrat-backed evidence based funding formula – an overhaul of the way the state funds K-12 education. The law made school funding more equitable by calculating the needs of individual school districts and basing its state revenue on those needs. The formula takes into account a district’s total enrollment, poverty rate, the number of special education or English language learners, among other factors. 

Some local schools that are set to receive additional funding include:

• Wheeling School District 21: $13,432,736
• River Trails School District 26: #1,523,718
• Northbrook Elementary School 27: $791,396
• West Northfield School District 31: $808,369
• Lake Bluff Elementary School District: 65: $565,077
• Lake Forest School District 67: $1,014,839
• Bannockburn School District 106: $140,906
• Deerfield School District 109: $1,829,408
• North Shore School District 112: $3,373,338
• Township High School District 113: $1,854,468
• Lake Forest CUSD 115: $881,134

The Fiscal Year ‘23 budget invested an additional $350 million into student’s success through the evidence based funding model.

“Illinois is a stand-out state when it comes to the way we fund our schools,” said Morrison. “Evidence based funding ensures students are provided with quality education regardless of ZIP code.”

In total, schools in the area Morrison represents saw a total of $25 million in additional funding. For more information on the FY 23 evidence based funding distribution, people can visit isbe.net/Pages/EvidenceBasedFunding.

HIGHWOOD —State Senator Julie Morrison celebrates the Illinois Department of Natural Resources announcement of almost $130,000 in grants for land trusts in Lake County to support land protected by the Illinois Nature Preservation Commission.

“Our nature preserves are a point of pride, and to give them the support that they need is vital to maintain their high quality stewardship,” said Morrison (D-Lake Forest). “They serve not only as a way to preserve our environment, but as ways for our children to learn about nature.”

Two area Open Lands Associations have been given grants to support their stewardship efforts. Lake Bluff Open Lands Association will receive nearly $60,000 to hire interns and contractual services to control invasive species, remove undesirable trees, and conduct controlled burns which are vital in preservation at Skokie River Prairie Land and Water Reserve. The Lake Forest Open Lands Association will receive just over $70,000 to purchase equipment, supplies, and contractual assistance to improve natural community structure and diversity at Skokie River Nature Preserve and Middlefork Savanna Nature Preserve.

“It is important to get the right tools to the right people,” said Morrison. “Environmental stewardship is a vital step to ensure our future generations have a clean and healthy environment.”

Stewardship is the responsible use and protection of the natural environment through preservation and sustainable practices to enhance ecosystem resilience. In recent years the stewardship needs at natural areas throughout Illinois have outpaced the ability to deliver these services to natural areas permanently protected in the Illinois Nature Preservation Commission system.

More information about the Illinois Natural Areas Stewardship Grant Program can be found on the Illinois Department of Natural Resources website at https://bit.ly/stewardshipgrants.

LAKE FOREST – State Senator Julie Morrison announced Friday that eight school districts in the 29^th Senate district will receive $50,000 each for maintenance and infrastructure projects through a grant from the Illinois State Board of Education.

“Schools in Lake and Cook County will receive this funding to improve school infrastructure and serve students more effectively,” said Morrison (D-Lake Forest). “Well-ventilated classrooms, updated facilities like libraries, and clean and well-lit learning spaces are critical for our students’ health and success.”

School districts in the 29^thDistrict to receive a combined $400,000 for infrastructure improvements include:

• Bannockburn School District 106 - $50,000
• Deerfield School District 109 - $50,000
• Lake Bluff Elementary School District 65 - $50,000
• Lake Forest Community High School District 115 - $50,000
• Lake Forest School District 67 - $50,000
• Northbrook Elementary School District 27 - $50,000
• River Trails School District 26 - $50,000
• Wheeling Community Consolidated School District 21 - $50,000

In the latest announcement, a total of $30 million in 2022 School Maintenance Grants was distributed to districts across the state. To be eligible for the grants, applicants were required to match the state funds and commit to completing proposed projects within two years.

Projects made possible thanks to these grants include updates to heating and cooling, improvements to ventilation, increased accessibility throughout buildings and more.

A full list of grantees and awards can be accessed on the ISBE website.