State Senator Cristina Castro announced that four local school districts are set to receive over $41 million through the evidence-based funding formula to help address the financial challenges of recent years.

“High-quality education begins with smart investments that support students and teachers,” said Castro (D-Elgin). “Taking on a larger share of school funding at the state level moves us further away from the unfair, property tax-based school funding system of the past and toward better outcomes for all children in our state.”

The funding comes from the 2017 Illinois Senate Democrat-backed evidence-based funding formula — an overhaul of the way the state funds K-12 education. The law made school funding more equitable by calculating the needs of individual school districts and basing its state revenue on those needs. The formula takes into account a district’s total enrollment, poverty rate and number of students with disabilities or English language learners, among other factors.

Local school districts receiving funding through the formula include:

• School District U-46: $35,018,726
• School District 54: $309,365
• Community Unit School District 300: $6,321,393
• Township High School District 211: $220,077

For more information on the FY 24 evidence-based funding distribution, visit the Illinois State Board of Education’s website.

As the tourism and hospitality industries continue to bounce back from the last few years of economic hardship, State Senator Cristina Castro is congratulating 20 local businesses that will receive a combined $2,772,483 in the latest round of Back to Business grants.

“Through the Back to Business grant program, we’ve been able to make historic investments in our small business community while tackling the workforce shortage,” said Castro (D-Elgin). “Supporting our small businesses, especially those owned by minority entrepreneurs, goes a long way toward saving jobs and recouping losses so our communities can move forward.”

The Back to Business grant program provides recovery grants for small businesses throughout the state with an emphasis on businesses in the hardest hit industries, like restaurants and hotels. This round of funding will award more than $2.7 million to 20 businesses in Castro’s district.

Two local community-based organizations will receive more than $230,000 in combined literacy grants to grow and enhance their programs, thanks to support from State Senator Cristina Castro.

“The Literacy Connection and YWCA Elgin have a long history of serving and supporting the families in our community, and this investment ensures they can continue providing critical adult education and literacy programs to those who may not otherwise be able to access services,” said Castro (D-Elgin). “Not only do these funds support programs and classes for adult learners, they also benefit our youngest learners by incorporating literacy education into a family-oriented model.”

Two area agencies are set to receive a total of $230,485 to enhance community and family literacy and improve access to services. The Literacy Connection in Elgin will see $130,485 in family literacy and community literacy grant funding, and YWCA Elgin will see $100,000 in family literacy grant funding that will benefit children from birth to age five.

Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias awarded the grants through the Adult Literacy Grant Program, which helps learners develop and enhance their reading, math, writing and English-language skills. Family literacy projects funded through the program include both adult and child literacy services, delivered in holistic and family-centered models.

More information about the Secretary of State’s Adult Literacy Program grants can be found here.

State Senator Cristina Castro (D-Elgin) issued the following statement Friday after the Illinois Supreme Court upheld the assault weapons ban within the Protect Illinois Communities Act:

“Today marks a historic step in ending the continuous gun violence in our neighborhoods and across our state. With a plan in place that bans these weapons, strengthens our ‘red flag’ laws and bans rapid-fire devices, the historic provisions in the Protect Illinois Communities Act will save lives and prevent further tragedies in every corner of our state.

“Reducing the ways dangerous people can obtain automatic weapons creates safer communities. As mass shootings become more and more common, and the use of military-style weapons continues unabated, more lives will be lost without action. Today’s decision shows the rest of the nation that Illinois continues to be a model for transformative change and progress, even when it seems impossible.

“All communities deserve to feel safe in their homes, schools, places of worship and public spaces. The tragic mass shooting in Highland Park last Fourth of July only intensified the need for action. I have heard from residents across the 22^nd District – families have had enough. If the federal government won’t step up to save lives and keep violent weapons off our streets, it’s up to us to keep our communities safe.”

To read the Illinois Supreme Court’s full opinion, click here.