North Cook News

State Sen. Ann Gillespie (D-IL) said schools in her Senate District 27 will be receiving over $91 million in federal aid to help them deal with the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.  

District 27 is located in the Chicago metropolitan area and includes parts of Arlington Heights, Hoffman Estates, Des Plaines, Mount Prospect, Rolling Meadows, Barrington, Inverness, Palatine, Prospect Heights and South Barrington.

"Over $91 million in federal funding is coming to schools throughout the 27th District! It has been a hard year for students, teachers and parents. These funds will help our students and schools succeed as we return to in-person learning," Gillespie wrote in a Facebook post.

Students in Illinois for much of last year were on remote at-home learning to safeguard them from the coronavirus.

School districts to receive the funding include Palatine CCSD 15, Mount Prospect, Prospect Heights, Township HSD 211 and 214, Arlington Heights, Community CSD, Wheeling and River Trails.

According to Gillespie’s web page, a majority of the money from the American Rescue Plan gives school officials an amount of freedom in how they use it. However, a minimum 20% of the funding must be used to address learning loss caused by the pandemic. The money can also be used to prevent layoffs of school personnel, and purchase school equipment. The funding can also go toward program development, social and emotional needs, summer programs and technology upgrades.

The Illinois State Board of Education is providing school officials with a written guide on how best to make use of the funding. The recommendations in the guide are voluntary and not requirements.     

Schools in Illinois have received to date almost $7 billion in government support during the pandemic.

Gillespie said the funding will provide local schools with a way to recover from the disruptions caused by the pandemic and return to in-person learning.