We have put an additional $3.8 billion into schools – more money than any administration in Illinois history in just 4 years.
By working together, Governor Blagojevich and the General Assembly have taken major steps to help our schools, including:
- $3.8 billion in new funding for schools.
- Higher graduation requirements for the first time in 21 years.
- Launching “Preschool for All” so that every 3 and 4 year old will be able to attend preschool.
More Money For Education
- After adjusting for inflation, we’ve increased spending six times faster than the previous administrations.
Stronger Requirements, Better Sschools
- We raised high school graduation requirements for the first time in over two decades, requiring students to take more math, science, reading and writing intensive courses.
- We raised the dropout age to 17 and reduced the dropout rate to its lowest level ever -- 4%.
- We eliminated the teacher certification backlog and cut more than 500 pages of unneeded rules and red tape.
- We expanded meal subsidies to 40,000 more children.
Preschool For All
- We launched Preschool for All, increasing funding by $135 million since 2002 – a 75% increase in funding.
- The program ultimately expands preschool to every 3 and 4-year-old in Illinois.
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