A legal scramble unfolded Wednesday as education advocates raced to court in a last-ditch effort to halt the sudden loss of $60 million for Illinois after-school programs, funding cuts they warn could gut extracurricular learning across the state.
The federal reductions are scheduled to take effect Thursday, Jan. 1, a timing critics say lands like a trapdoor beneath thousands of students just as they return from winter break.
Duelling Courtrooms, One High-Stakes Fight
Lawyers for Illinois education groups made their case before a judge Thursday morning in Washington, D.C., with the U.S. Department of Education defending the cuts. At the same time, a separate lawsuit was argued in U.S. District Court in Chicago.
By midday, the Chicago hearing was placed on an extended recess while the judge reviewed arguments from plaintiffs’ attorneys, underscoring the urgency and complexity of the dispute.
At issue is grant funding for 32 Illinois schools, including Marie Sklodowska Curie Metropolitan High School at 4959 S. Archer Ave. The money supports programs such as STEM and robotics classes, civic leadership initiatives and financial literacy education.
If the Department of Education’s decision stands, many of those activities would be canceled midyear, with layoffs likely for staff who run the programs.
