Senator Turner announces local schools set to receive nearly $125 million

[SPRINGFIELD] – State Senator Doris Turner (D-Springfield) is announcing that school districts in Central Illinois will receive nearly $125 million in additional funding to help address the many challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This is major news for Central Illinois, especially for our students and teachers now that the end of the pandemic is in sight,” said Turner. “I encourage local districts to use this funding to help the most at-risk students. When school districts spend money wisely, they have better outcomes, including higher test scores and increased graduation rates.”

The funding comes as part of the most recent federal COVID-19 relief packages. Schools, students and parents have overcome challenges that no one could have imagined before the pandemic began, including remote and hybrid learning, digital connection issues, new processes for receiving state and federal aid that normally flow through schools, and more.

Local schools are set to receive the following amounts:
• Morrisonville CUSD 1- $438,516
• Taylorville CUSD 3- 6,435,198
• Edinburg CUSD 4- $673,771
• Pana CUSD 8- $4,976,666
• South Fork SD 14- $995,486
• Panhandle CUSD 2- $1,366,902
• Hillsboro CUSD 3- $4,608,564
• Litchfield CUSD 12- $4,899,443
• Nokomis CUSD 22- $3,533,859
• Central A & M CUD 21- $1,769,680
• Sangamon Valley CUSD 9- $1,083,382
• Decatur SD 61- $71,325,913
• Carlinville CUSD 1- $41,58,572
• Mount Olive CUSD 5- $1,124,611
• Staunton CUSD 6- $1,831,770
• Gillespie CUSD 7- $5,014,711
• Bunker Hill CUSD 8- $1,279,813
• Southwestern CUSD 9- $2,386,027
• North Mac CUSD 34- $4,273,024
• Rochester CUSD 3A- $1,542,201

The majority of the funding comes from the American Rescue Plan, which gives local schools a great deal of flexibility in how they can use the money over the next 3 ½ years. At least 20% of the funding must be used to address learning loss, but beyond that, school districts can use the money to address many different issues and costs. For example, it can be used to better equip schools for safe learning, to prevent layoffs, to address students’ social and emotional needs, to fund summer programs, or to ensure all students have access to reliable Wi-Fi and technology.

The State Board of Education, in collaboration with other state agencies that address education, has produced a guide for local school districts to help them decide how to best use their resources. While the guide and other state-sponsored services are completely voluntary, the state aims to support local districts during this difficult time.

“The additional funding will help ensure that students have schools with better facilities and more curriculum options,” Turner said. “I would personally like to thank local teachers, parents, staff and students for all of their hard work during this unprecedented time.”

In total, Illinois received nearly $7 billion to support local school districts.

Turner congratulates Southwestern High School on career training grant

SPRINGFIELD – Youth Career Pathways, a new program led by the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, recently awarded Southwestern High School grant dollars to expand access to training and support services for youth ages 16-24.

“This is a great opportunity for students, and something that will ensure lasting positive effects right here in Central Illinois,” said State

Senator Doris Turner (D-Springfield). “We must commit to diversifying our strategies in programming, school curriculum and instruction, especially for at-risk students. We can eliminate these unfortunate risk factors that threaten students’ academic progress if we create more stimulating learning environments.”

This year, through the expanded program, the state will prioritize youth in disproportionately impacted areas and who are at risk for dropping out and falling behind on career preparedness. This includes youth who reside in minority and rural communities.

Grant money will assist workforce providers across Illinois in increasing training that helps youths obtain marketable skills that prepare them for their future careers.

Applicants eligible for the program include community colleges, community-based organizations, workforce agencies, school districts and other entities with a demonstrated plan to serve the target populations with postsecondary training and credentialing.

Tuner celebrates a $57,500 bike path grant for Decatur Park District

SPRINGFIELD- The Decatur Park District has been selected to receive $57,500 in state dollars through the Illinois Bicycle Path Grant Program, State Senator Doris Turner (D-Springfield) announced Friday.

“This is a great investment for the city of Decatur, especially as we head into the warmer months of the year,” Turner said. “This grant creates an opportunity for safe activities for families and outdoor enthusiasts. It also opens up a new form of transportation for residents, which is a major plus for cyclist.”

The Park District will use the grant funding to acquire 31.7 acres of land located in the northwest portion of Decatur. The land will allow for access to the current 10-foot-wide asphalt bike trail, which is 9.8 miles long with an additional 1.5 miles under development. The added land will help complete the final 2 miles of the Stevens Creek Bikeway.

The Illinois Bicycle Path Grant Program, which is administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, has helped develop nearly 1,000 miles of local government bike trails in Illinois. This year, the program will fund seven bike path projects across the state totaling more than $800,000.

Learn more about the program, eligible projects and the application process here.

Turner moves legislation to expand agricultural education for students

SPRINGFIELD- State Senator Doris Turner’s (D-Springfield) plan to add agricultural sciences as a type of course that may be counted towards the requirement for three years of sciences in order to gain admission to an Illinois public university passed the Senate Higher Education Committee Tuesday.

“The study of agriculture is vitally important, and our curricula should reflect that,” said Senator Turner. “The current exclusion as an option for a science course for admission is a huge disservice to students who plan to one day study and/or work in the field.”

Currently, the minimum requirements to gain admission to state universities include the completion of at least 15 units of high school coursework in the following subjects: English, Social studies, Mathematics, (Laboratory) Sciences and electives in either foreign language, music, vocational education, or art.

Currently, some colleges may accept agricultural science under the auspice of a "science course" but not all are doing so. This legislation will add some conformity to the available options.

“This is simply an effort to highlight the importance of agricultural science,” Turner said. “Students should feel confident and passionate about their career choice when choosing to study multidisciplinary sciences.”

The measure passed out of the Senate Higher Education Committee and moves to the Senate for further consideration.