Prairie State Wire

Gov. J.B. Pritzker has enacted the Education and Workforce Equity Act, HB 2170, which he signed Monday.

Supporters say this will enhance learning outcomes across different levels of education using equity and fairness as guiding principles.

“This legislation accomplishes so much to expand access – from early childhood services to AP courses; to achieve equity – by addressing learning loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic; and to broaden opportunity – by evaluating and streamlining our workforce programs so more students might choose a career in education,” Pritzker said.

The bill would allow “children who turn 3 years old between May and August to continue receiving services until the beginning of the next school year, expands the required black history coursework to include pre-enslavement of black people, why black people came to be enslaved, and the American Civil Rights renaissance, expands the Illinois Teaching Excellence Program to cover programs working with diverse candidates,” and would mandate the “Illinois Workforce Investment Board conduct a feasibility study of all workforce development programs funded by the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act,” according to WGEM.

Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford said that the bill would eliminate "damaging policies and procedures” that have been embedded into Illinois’ systems which have created “deep inequities and opportunity gaps in education for black students."