Sen. Bill Cunningham Secures $2.249M In Evidence-Based Funding For Alsip-Crestwood Schools

CHICAGO – State Senator Bill Cunningham (18th District) announced that 12 school districts across the southwest suburbs will receive nearly $8 million in evidence-based funding, in addition to the base funding that the state provides.

“Additional funding to our public schools will lead to improved student outcomes,” said Cunningham, a Democrat who represents portions of Chicago and the southwest suburbs. “This evidence-based funding is critical for helping our local school districts provide a high-quality education that students and families deserve.”

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 state revenue on those needs. The formula takes into account a district’s total enrollment, poverty rate and number of special education or English language learners, among other factors.

School districts in the Alsip-Crestwood area set to receive funding through the formula include Alsip-Hazelgreen-Oak Lawn SD 126 ($32,573); Atwood Heights Dist. 125 ($230,706), and CHSD 218 ($1,986,189).

Other southwest suburban school districts receiving funding through the formula include:

• Chicago Ridge School District 127-5: $1,015,711
• Evergreen Park Community High School District 231: $23,881
• Evergreen Park Elementary School District 124: $69,843
• North Palos School District 117: $1,019,269
• Oak Lawn Community High School District 229: $1,457,089
• Oak Lawn-Hometown School District 123: $1,872,453
• Palos Community School District 118: $52,663
• Palos Heights School District 128: $13,973
• Worth School District 127: $23,281

The Fiscal Year 2026 budget invested $300 million in new funding into students’ success through the evidence-based funding model.

For more information on the FY 26 evidence-based funding distribution, visit the Illinois State Board of Education.