8th Annual Back to School Event (PHOTOS)

Assistant Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford (D-Maywood) hosted her 8th Annual Back to School Event earlier this summer to get students amped up and ready to get back in the classroom. The event was hosted at Brookfield Zoo and was well attended. View pictures from the event by clicking on the photos below to enlarge.

Saturday University 2017

Lightford: Lottery dollars should serve as a supplement to education funds

• Budget
• Education
• Lottery

SPRINGFIELD — When the Illinois Lottery was established, its purpose was to provide extra revenue for schools, but those funds have often been used to replace funds from other sources instead of serving as a supplement. Reliance on lottery revenue to fund local schools will soon come to an end under a proposal that was recently signed into law.

House Bill 213, led by Assistant Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford (D-Maywood), ensures that beginning in FY18, money from the lottery that is used to fund schools must serve as an addition to other funds slated for education.

“We recently made a commitment to our students that requires the proper investment to achieve equity in education for all children. This legislation adds to that commitment by ensuring that lottery funds will serve their intended purpose,” Lightford said.

The Illinois Lottery Law requires the entire net proceeds of the Lottery to be used for the support of the State's Common School Fund. Currently, 24 percent of lottery ticket revenue is deposited into the fund. In fiscal year 15, that amount was $679 million of the total $2.85 billion in lottery sales.

Lightford: This is a significant step toward equity in education funding

• Video
• Education
• Education Funding Reform

SPRINGFIELD- Assistant Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford (D-Maywood) released the following statement following the Senate’s approval of legislation that would provide equity in the way the state funds education:

“The legislature was able to come together through bipartisan compromise to approve a plan that fixes our worst-in-the-nation school funding formula. While there are aspects in this proposal that will need revision, I refuse to continue denying our children a quality education.

“We are closer than ever to enacting a measure that provides equity for all children by putting dollars where they are most needed. I will continue working to make education more accessible and fair on every level, and I am glad we were able to take a significant step toward that goal today.”