PEER Illinois

08/31/2026

As the school year begins, many people are falling into the school voucher trap 🕳️… how about a quick reminder on why school vouchers don’t belong in Illinois.

08/26/2026

Still, the most recent figures from the Illinois State Board of Education show that more than two-thirds of the state’s elementary, high school and unit school districts will be underfunded this year. And the overall “adequacy gap” — the difference between the funding districts and their adequacy target under the law — now stands at $6.8 billion and growing.

JB Pritzker and Darren Bailey are offering sharply different approaches to school funding and education policy in Illinois.

08/25/2026

it’s back to school season, and we find that kinda chic! ✨

08/21/2026

🗳️ Meet our 2026 Democracy Project Fellow, Alan Cervantes! 🎉 Over the next few months, Alan will be leading our Get Out the Vote (GOTV) efforts by helping community members register to vote & get to the polls to make sure our communities are heard at the ballot box. You may have seen him in the community already! 💪🏽🗳️📣 Want to get involved? Send us a message to volunteer and join Alan for door-knocking, phone banking and more!

‌
🗳️ ¡Conozcan a nuestro fellow del Proyecto de Democracia 2026, Alan Cervantes! 🎉
Durante los próximos meses, Alan estará liderando nuestra campaña para movilizar el voto, ayudando a nuestra comunidad a registrarse para votar, tocando puertas, haciendo llamadas y reclutando voluntarios! Asegurar que nuestras voces sean escuchadas en las urnas es importante hoy mas que nunca. 💪🏽🗳️ 📣 ¿Quieres participar? ¡Mándanos un mensaje para ser voluntario/a y apoyar a Alan en este esfuerzo!

08/21/2026

Calling...everyone! Join us for a virtual forum about the new, harmful federal voucher school program (yet another tax giveaway for the wealthy!)—Tuesday Sept. 15th, 6:00-7:30 PM CT.

Register: bit.ly/fedvoucherforum

Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation circulating about how this program—designed and intended to unleash private school vouchers funded by tax dollars nationwide—will impact our public schools. Our knowledge-packed panel will share the facts on how this program will harm our public schools and hurt education equity.

If you’re a school leader, community member, parent, educator, or student, the time is now to engage and ask questions about how you can educate and organize your community to advocate for keeping vouchers out of Illinois and strengthen our public schools.

08/20/2026

Students need support in their schools. In order for Illinois students to have that support, we must create a school community that centers educational growth and excellence. When we fund our schools equitably, students from our underserved communities can get the access to quality curriculum, well-paid teachers and support they need to thrive.

This week, meet Maria, a community member who lives on the Southwest side of Chicago.

08/17/2026

08/12/2026

Public education is a public good and children in Illinois should have the freedom to pursue their dreams. Our children can’t do that without meaningful funding for them to have the resources they need to achieve those dreams.

This week, meet Krystal, one of our parents from Waukegan.

08/03/2026

State governors have the power to reject the first national voucher program and prevent a tidal wave of funding to unaccountable private schools.

07/29/2026

As back to school season begins, we’ll be highlighting stories from our coalition’s new webpage, More Than a Formula. This webpage highlights the need for an urgent investment in our state’s Evidence-Based Funding formula (EBF). As we roll into year 10 of the unmet promise of fully-funding this formula, we must continue the work to ensure our kids have the resources and opportunities they need to succeed in public schools and beyond.

Meet Ethan, a student from Forest Park who speaks about his experience and the need for investments in our public schools.