After-School Programs Facing Cuts as Organizations Wait for State to Distribute Promised $50M
Joanna Hernandez | November 18, 2024 6:39 pm
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Organizations providing after-school programs for students are sounding the alarm about a statewide funding crisis.
Illinois lawmakers previously approved $50 million for after-school and summer programs, but that funding hasn’t reached schools yet. This delay leaves Chicago Public Schools and local organizations facing difficult budget cuts.
Elizabeth Childs is the program manager for an after-school program at Haley Academy Elementary School operated in partnership with the YMCA.
“Having this program opens the doors for parents to know their child has a safe haven: somewhere to go and be supervised and get help with homework,” Childs said.
Now the after-school program is in jeopardy of losing funding. Eric Werge, who oversees community programming for the YMCA, said this funding was intended to help stabilize after-school programs throughout the state.
“Much of after-school and community schoolwork is grant-based,” Werge said, “and the downside to being grant-based is that grants come to an end. And for the Y, every year because our schools are in different cohorts, we have a certain set of schools that are facing the end of their grant funding.”
Many organizations are now facing challenges due to CPS funding cuts, expiring federal grants and pandemic-era relief money drying up.
“We know that when young people are not engaged positively,” Werge said, “they are at risk for so many negative outcomes.”
In a statement, the Illinois State Board of Education said, “ISBE is working closely with leadership in the General Assembly to determine their intention for adding the new $50 million appropriation for after-school funding included in the FY25 budget. We understand the urgency surrounding after-school programming and remain committed to ensuring that these resources are allocated in a way that best serves students and families across Illinois. At the request of the General Assembly, ISBE is awaiting their direction before proceeding.”
“It shouldn’t be that every year certain programs are facing the end,” Werge said. “… So when the $50 million was passed we were so excited because we saw it as a game changer.”
According to advocates, more than 13,000 students have already lost after-school programming. Susan Stanton, the director of ACT NOW Illinois, a coalition advocating for youth programming, said that number is likely to rise if funding doesn’t improve.
“A lot of programs were hoping there would be at least the opportunity to compete for more funding by the new year, but we’re already in November and that doesn’t feel likely, so we are expecting another round of huge … closures and layoffs as we get into the holiday season,” Stanton said.
Chicago Debates is facing the impact of funding cuts. Executive Director Anthony Bolden is exploring alternative ways to raise funds to ensure that more CPS schools do not have to pause the program.
“The commitment from CPS makes up about a third of our annual budget,” Bolden said. “We’re a small organization, and when you lose a chunk of that, it makes a big difference in what you can do.”
The organization has collaborated with CPS schools across the city since 1997, introducing students to the art of debate. Due to funding cuts, the program has reduced its outreach from 104 schools to 70.
Sharone Mitchell Jr., an alumnus of the debate program at Morgan Park High School, is now the Cook County public defender. He said the program opened doors for him.
“This program has been serving our community for so long and not just the folks with the most but talking about Title I schools,” Mitchell said. “You’re talking about a lot of Black and Brown kids who may have not gotten that opportunity. It’s just a special program.”
Emilio Hernandez, a high school senior, said joining his after-school debate team has transformed his high school experience by allowing him to compete with students from other schools and help build his self-confidence.
“I used to be really reserved and quiet,” Hernandez said. “I wasn’t the most outspoken, but debate really helped me grow those skills and be able to talk to other people.”
As funding dwindles, programs like Chicago Debates and the YMCA seek alternative solutions to keep their initiatives running.