A new public school funding bill recently passed by the Illinois Legislature and signed by Gov. Bruce Rauner, SB1947, includes a scholarship program that awards donated funds to students in lower-income families – up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level – to provide them the opportunity to attend private schools.
A provision within the bill allows for scholarship eligibility to students in select “focus districts” in the state, including several in the Metro East area.
In the Metro East area, students who meet income criteria in the following school districts are eligible for the scholarships:
• Alton Community Unit School District 11
• Roxana Community Unit School District 1
• Granite City Community Unit School District 9
• Cahokia Community Unit School District 187
• East St. Louis School District 189
A breakdown from the Illinois Policy Institute reveals the criteria for eligibility: A district must include at least one school ranking in the bottom 10 percent in terms of student performance or a school with a graduation rate of less than 60 percent.
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