Delivered via email: February 13, 2026
Federal Budget
FY2026 Education Appropriations
Education appropriations legislation containing stable federal funding for schools for FY2026 was signed into law by the President on February 3. Though education funding is now secure, Congressional legislators continue to negotiate the final appropriations measure necessary to fully fund the government for the fiscal year.
Concerns about funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), included in the Homeland Security Appropriations legislation, have delayed passage of this bill. The House and Senate recessed on February 12 without final agreement on this legislation, or a temporary Continuing Resolution (CR), thus the agencies funded under this bill will shut down all non-essential operations after February 13.
FY2027 Education Appropriations
With FY2026 appropriations almost complete, Congress moved on to consideration of FY2027 education funding priorities, beginning with a hearing at the House Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee. At the hearing, witnesses discussed the need for funding evidence-based federal research on student outcomes, citing the impact of past grants on increased student achievement. Bipartisan support marked the hearing. Upon conclusion, IASB staff commended the Subcommittee for its focus on one of the key levers for increased student achievement, noting
IASB’s 2026 federal legislative priorities.
Federal Committee Action
The House Education and Workforce Committee held a hearing on February 10 to discuss the parent right to opt out of curriculum for religious reasons as outlined in the
Mahmoud v. Taylor case before the Supreme Court. The contentious hearing discussed curriculum content and the impact on schools if parents and students opt out of curriculum because of their religious beliefs.
Key Department of Education Actions
On January 30 the Department of Education
published a proposed rule to implement changes to student loan access in the Budget Reconciliation Act that became law in July. Changes in the legislation and rule will reduce access to loans for part-time undergraduate and graduate students. Under the newly proposed rule, “professional students” have access to significantly greater loan limits for annual and cumulative borrowing, however educators are excluded from this category. Inclusion in the “professional student” category would assist educators, particularly those seeking graduate degrees on a part-time basis, allowing them significantly greater loan access. Comments on the proposed rule are due March 2.
Upcoming Events
Webinar: Medicaid’s Potential to Assist Students – February 19 at noon
Did you know that Medicaid is the third largest federal funding stream for K-12 schools? Or, that one in two Illinois children are covered through Medicaid? The School-Based Health Services through Medicaid program provides services to 244,000 Illinois students. School district reimbursement for these services totaled $315 million in SFY23. The program was expanded in 2023 to allow coverage of services beyond IEPs. Despite the program’s potential to assist schools in paying for other health services, such as mental health services for students, the program is currently underutilized by Illinois school districts.
Join IASB, IASA, the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, ISBE, and others to learn more about the program and how districts are using the School-Based Health Services program to serve student needs and secure funding for those services.
Advocacy Ambassadors
The next Advocacy Ambassadors meeting is on
February 20 at noon. At this meeting, the Governmental Relations team will be sharing a federal and state legislative update, along with gathering your feedback on new advocacy resources. Join this great group of members working to advocate for public education.
Sign up today to get access to member-only webinars and resources.
IASB Advocacy Day
IASB Advocacy Day is coming up quickly on March 24! During this exciting day, you will have the opportunity to hear from and meet with legislators and policymakers to discuss key issues impacting your district and public education.
The deadline to register is February 27. IASB is
chartering a bus from the Lombard office, 1 E 22nd Street, Lombard, IL 60148, to assist IASB members in the Northern Illinois area. If you want to arrive in Springfield on March 23, there is a
limited hotel block available at the President Abraham Lincoln Springfield Hotel.