Illinois Federation of Teachers

Just because school's out doesn't mean the learning ends. IFT is offering several opportunities for professional development, but registration is only open for a limited time!

If public education isn't fully resourced, we will still see the majority of our schools inadequately funded across the state - meaning that cuts or property taxes make up the difference.

If we truly believe children are our future, then our budgets should reflect it. Investing in education is investing in stronger communities, a healthier economy, and a better tomorrow.

Paraprofessionals and support staff show up every day for students. But when the school day ends, many are still figuring out how to make ends meet, leaning on their village for childcare, picking up extra work, or going without. That’s neither sustainable nor fair.

IFT members traveled to Springfield one last time this legislative session to tell lawmakers what's at risk if we continue to underfund our institutions and deny our students the resources they need from PreK to Ph.D.

Every student deserves to feel seen, supported, and included at school. And equity requires investment.

Students in alternative schools carry more than most before they even walk through the door. But without full funding, those resources are stretched thin.

Students don't just need a teacher, they need a team: Counselors. Paraprofessionals.  Nurses. Support staff. Custodians.  The list goes on.

Illinois has one of the lowest ratios of state employees per capita in the nation. As a result, chronic understaffing delays vital services for families, seniors, and small businesses. But equitable state funding can help! If we raise revenue by taxing the ultra-wealthy...

Educators know what kids need, and we've got clear ideas to get there. But right now, schools are being asked to do more with less while corporations are getting tax breaks.

When the wealthy don’t pay their fair share, students and communities pay the price. Instead, we're seeking revenue solutions that invest in kids right now and generations to come.

Educators know that supporting English language learners takes time, skill, and resources. It means dedicated staff. It means collaboration. It means the ability to meet students where they are and help them grow.

Full funding for our schools means: ✅ Smaller class sizes ✅ Stocked libraries ✅ Student-centered spaces ✅ Investment in teachers and staff

What happens outside the classroom doesn’t stay outside the classroom.

Serving ✨ full funding energy ✨ for our students. Paraprofessionals know exactly what students need to learn, grow, and feel supported. The only thing missing? Lawmakers choosing full funding over corporate giveaways.

Some schools don’t even have enough books for every student. Educators share materials. Class sizes grow. Positions go unfilled. These aren’t extras. They’re the basics of a functioning classroom.

Building repairs, upgraded school buildings, and smaller class sizes are just some of the ways Champaign students would benefit if their district was fully funded. That's what's on the table.

Educators and public workers understand budgets because we live with their consequences. We see what happens when lawmakers prioritize megaproject tax breaks over education funding, and we know exactly what our students lose as a result.

Hear firsthand from AFT Local 604 members in the East Aurora council how fully funding public education would directly improve the lives of their students.

Illinois’ public universities are being slowly starved—and students are paying the price. Years of chronic underfunding have led to program cuts, fewer faculty and staff, and rising tuition and fees at our public colleges and universities.

When classrooms are too large, students get less individual attention, educators are stretched thin, and learning suffers. Teachers know this because they live it every day. Students feel it because it shapes their experience in school.

On May Day, we didn’t just talk about history: we walked through it with our students. We spent the day with a class visiting the National Veterans Art Museum, the Haymarket Monument, and ending at May Day actions—connecting American history and literature to the living labor movement around us.

IFT members like Josh Webster from Madison Fed. of Teachers and Support Personnel (Local 763) are fighting for full and fair funding for our students.

On May Day, we spent the day with IFT Secretary‑Treasurer Pankaj Sharma and his class bringing American history and literature to life.

Save the dates! IFT members will be joining events around the state to on May Day to demand that our government put our students and working people over greedy billionaires and corporate profits. Then, we'll be taking our fight for funding to Springfield on May 27.

School closes. Paychecks stop. Bills don’t. PSRPs keep our schools running all year — but every summer they’re left without income and without unemployment insurance access. This week, there's still time to show up for them.

Underfunding has consequences. It looks like crowded classrooms, understaffed campuses, rising tuition, and stretched public services. With our Full Funding Friday actions, we're showing lawmakers and the public that schools and communities need full funding to thrive.

For months, IFT members have been coming together and standing up to demand a state that puts working people over billionaire profits, that invests in our students, higher education, communities AND the people who work to support them.