A new public school funding bill recently passed by the Illinois Legislature, SB1947, includes a scholarship program that would award 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 West Cook County.
In West Cook County, students who meet income criteria in the following school districts are eligible for the scholarships:
• Bellwood School District 88
• Argo Community High School District 217
• Berwyn South School District 100
• Cicero School District 99
• J. S. Morton High School District 201
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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