Delivered via email: June 11, 2026
FY 2027 Budget
Late in the evening of June 9, the House Appropriations Committee adopted, by a party line vote, education appropriations legislation for FY2027 with deep cuts to K-12 education. The bill varied from the proposed budget submitted by the President, which requested stable funding for Title I and a slight increase for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), reducing funds for Title I by 10% from FY2026 levels. Though the legislation slightly increased funding for IDEA, many other K-12 programs were reduced or eliminated. In total, the bill represents a 10% reduction in education funding from FY 2026 levels.
Programs reduced in the bill:
- Title I – Cut by $1.9 Billion (10%)
- Education Research – Cut by $271 Million (36%)
K-12 programs eliminated in the bill:
- Teacher Training – Title II and SEED
- State Assessments
- English Language Acquisition
- Migrant, Neglected and Delinquent Students
- Education for Homeless Children and Youths
- Arts in Education
- Ready to Learn
- Statewide Family Engagement
- Full-Service Community Schools
- Promise Neighborhoods
- Preschool Development Grants
The legislation also includes two funding prohibitions for schools as a condition of receiving funding under the Act. The first is that educational institutions receiving funding are prohibited from allowing male students to compete in women’s sports. The second is that elementary and secondary schools must have a policy that requires teachers and staff to promptly notify parents about matters related to gender identity or any desire or effort of a student to express an identity that does not correspond to the minor child’s sex. In addition, they may not withhold or conceal information from a minor child’s parent or guardian.
Committee consideration included multiple amendments attempting to restore funding for the eliminated programs, or address other Administration policies, almost all of which failed on party-line votes. This will likely represent the House version of the legislation from which the House will negotiate with the Senate on its own version. The Senate Appropriations Committee has yet to schedule its consideration of education appropriations legislation for FY2027.
House Action
House Passes “Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act”
The House of Representatives passed H.R. 2616, the Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act, on May 20, by a vote of 217-198. This bill would require school districts that receive federal funds to obtain parental consent before changing elementary or middle school students’ pronouns, names, or bathroom/locker room usage. The legislation also prohibits the use of such funds to teach or advance concepts related to gender ideology. The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration; however, such consideration is unlikely due to the 60-vote threshold necessary for passage.
CPS CEO Testifies at Education and Workforce Hearing
Chicago Public Schools Superintendent and CEO Dr. Macquline King testified at a House hearing, “Breaking Trust: Attacks on Parental Rights, Inappropriate Content and Legal Abuses in America’s Schools” on June 10. At the contentious hearing, King and superintendents from San Francisco, California and Loudoun County, Virginia answered questions about transgender policies, parent rights, student privacy, sex education, academic achievement and other issues.
House Hearing on Cybersecurity
At a hearing on May 21, the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection examined the need for continued and expanded federal assistance for cybersecurity for states and local entities. In advance of the hearing, the Consortium of State School Boards Associations (COSSBA) and 13 other national associations signed a letter sharing the increasingly sophisticated cyber threats faced by schools and libraries and the groups’ support for continuing and strengthening federal programs that secure school and library district networks from cyberattacks and protect student, library patron, and personnel data.
Administrative Actions
Federal Tax Credit for Private and Public School Expenses
Thirty-one states have announced their intent to opt in to the federal tax credit for contributions to scholarship-granting entities that provide scholarships for public and private school expenses. On June 10, the Department of the Treasury previewed implementation guidance on the regulations. The Department also indicated that final regulations will be released before the end of September. Governor Pritzker has yet to announce whether Illinois will opt in to the federal tax credit, saying that he is waiting to evaluate final regulations. On June 11, Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI) introduced House companion legislation to Senate legislation repealing the tax credit, the Keep Public Funds in Public Schools Act. The bill was cosponsored by seven Illinois members.
FCC E-Rate Bidding Portal Taking Effect in FY2028
On June 3, the Schools, Health and Libraries Broadband Coalition hosted a webinar to provide information about the FCC’s late-April approval of a new e-rate competitive bidding portal that will significantly change how applicants and vendors manage and document the bidding process. View the recording to review the changes to the requirements for your school district, and to begin preparing for the new system which will take effect in FY 2028.
COSSBA Federal Advocacy Conference
We hope you will join IASB at the COSSBA Federal Advocacy Conference in Washington, D.C., September 21-23. With newly released House appropriations legislation that imposes deep cuts to Title I and many other programs, we need your advocacy for the federal funding that supports Illinois public schools. IASB has planned several new activities for its members attending the conference to augment your experience. We hope to have all Illinois Congressional districts represented. Register soon as hotel space is close to capacity and early-bird pricing ends July 20.