Illinois after-school programs, parent services in limbo as lawsuits challenge Trump administration cuts

After-school programs at Curie High School on the Southwest Side helped keep Blanca Venegas’ son engaged and away from bad influences.

Her son, who is in his senior year, has participated in various activities and clubs at his school since he was a freshman. Venegas also takes advantage of Curie’s offerings and enjoys sewing and exercise classes for adults.

But the future of those services is in limbo after the Trump administration’s decision to discontinue the Full Service Community Schools grant, which provides schools across Illinois, including Curie, with funding for extra support like food pantries and after-school programs. Two lawsuits challenging the decision are making their way through the courts.

Venegas said the loss of the programs at Curie would be devastating for the community.

“It will affect us as parents and our children,” she said.

ACT Now Illinois, the group responsible for distributing an $18.5 million annual grant, filed a lawsuit in federal court in December challenging the abrupt discontinuation. One of the nonprofit’s grantees, Brighton Park Neighborhood Council, and the American Federation of Teachers filed a second lawsuit together.

Susan Stanton, executive director of ACT Now Illinois, said that while the nonprofit is doing what it can to keep programs running, hundreds of jobs and 150 after-school programs across the state have already been lost.

Brighton Park Neighborhood Council runs the Community Schools program for 500 students at Curie. The grant provided funds for programming ranging from ACT prep, mentoring, tutoring and classes for parents, to popular student clubs such as gardening and the Black Student Union.

BPNC lost its funding when the grant was discontinued at the end of December but has shifted its resources to keep providing some services and staff, according to a spokesperson. The group says it won’t be able to do that indefinitely and hopes the lawsuit can lead to a long-term resolution.

That also leaves the fates of three full-time and 11 part-time staff members up in the air because their positions are funded by the grant at Curie.

On Wednesday, Brighton Park Neighborhood Council and Curie hosted a town hall meeting at the high school where parents, teachers and students spoke about the importance of keeping the programming in place.

Alexander Espino, a sophomore, takes part in several after-school programs, including mariachi and National Honors Society.

“After-school programs are important for me because school is like my second home,” Alexander said. “For many of us after school activities keep us engaged and motivated and off the streets in these difficult times.”

Stanton, the ACT Now Illinois leader, said the group has received short-term funding extensions — sometimes one week at a time — as its lawsuit plays out in court.

“Even though we’re getting these per day allotments, it’s impossible to run quality programming and to give students what they need in that type of funding scheme,” because it's difficult to plan for things like field trips or long-term projects, Stanton said.

“Families can’t plan child care, transportation, after-school support or even their work schedules when services can completely disappear without warning,” Stanton said.

A hearing on the lawsuit is set for Tuesday, she said.

The ACT Now grant funds programs at 32 schools, including Curie and Clinton Elementary School in Chicago, as well as several downstate and in the suburbs. The grant was supposed to continue for three more years.

The Trump administration told ACT Now it was pulling the grant because it concluded the programs no longer served the “best interest of the Federal Government.” According to one of the lawsuits, the U.S. Department of Education blames grant applications that mention a focus on equity, racial justice and serving historically marginalized populations.

In Herrin, a city of just over 12,000 people located near the southern tip of the state, about 14.5% of the population lives in poverty. Andrew Anderson, vice principal at Herrin High School, said the grant money has allowed the school to hire a community outreach worker to help students struggling academically.

The worker meets with students and parents to figure out if there’s an issue at home or an unmet need, such as tutoring or transportation.

“It’s another person able to make connections between the family and between the school,” Anderson said. Without the grant money that position may be eliminated.

At Wednesday’s town hall at Curie, State Reps. Aaron Ortiz and Theresa Mah urged community members to contact legislators about including money for after-school programs in the upcoming state budget. Ortiz and Mah are sponsoring a bill that would create a $50 million community schools grant program within the state.

“After-school programs are not just activities, they are investments in students, safety and leadership and our future,” Alexander said.