CHICAGO — State Senator Natalie Toro, a former CPS teacher and advocate for well-funded school libraries, announced the Chicago Public School District has received over $89,000 to invest in resources for their libraries, including purchasing books, audiobooks, e-books and multilingual materials, as well as improving the technology and programs they offer students.
“Many CPS students don’t have access to the internet, a computer or comparable materials from their school libraries at home, including books that can be educational, make them feel more seen and understood, or provide an entertaining escape,” said Toro (D-Chicago). “I am glad this grant is affording Chicago schools more money to invest in this important resource.”
Based on a statutory formula, school districts receive $0.885 per student enrolled at each school with a qualified library. With this calculation, the City of Chicago School District 299 was awarded $89,017.
The School District Library Grant Program supports school library services for over 1 million students enrolled in kindergarten through 12th grade across the state. Funding for the grants, which are awarded once every fiscal year, comes from the General Reserve Fund and is appropriated by the Illinois General Assembly.
“Libraries provide many essential resources for our students to learn and grow into their full potential,” said Toro. “It is vital that we continue this investment and increase our funding to keep improving and ensuring our kids have access to robust libraries. I look forward to advocating for these important grants in the future.”
For a full list of libraries that received funding, visit the Secretary of State’s website.
