A new public school funding bill recently passed by the Illinois Legislature and signed by Gov. Bruce Rauner, SB1947, includes a scholarship program that would award donated funds to students in lower-income families – up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level – to provide them the opportunity to attend private schools.
A provision within the bill allows for scholarship eligibility to students in select “focus districts” in the state, including several in Kankakee County.
In Kankakee County, students who meet income criteria in Kankakee School District 111 and St. Anne Community High School District 302 are eligible for the scholarships.
A breakdown from the Illinois Policy Institute reveals the criteria for eligibility: A district must include at least one school ranking in the bottom 10 percent in terms of student performance or a school with a graduation rate of less than 60 percent.
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