First appearance on FOXAhead of the Democratic National Convention in Illinois, black advocacy groups slammed Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker, accusing him of underachieving black students across the state.
“Governor Pritzker has failed Black students in Illinois and has no one to blame but himself,” Darius Jones, founder and executive director of the National Black Empowerment Action Fund, said in a statement to Fox News Digital on Friday.
The group, which often aligns with Democratic policies and politicians, criticized Pritzker, who was a finalist for Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, for his record on education funding that follows state law.
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Pritzker is the governor of Illinois. (John Nasion/WireImage)
“Far from helping Black students, Governor Pritzker has turned his back on them by systematically underfunding Black schools, denying them the quality public education every child deserves,” Jones said.
“It will put generations of Black children who deserve a fair chance at a severe disadvantage, being ignored by a governor who clearly has other priorities. This is simply wrong.”
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The Illinois Evidence-Based Funding for Student Success Act, enacted in 2017, requires the state to fully fund public schools by 2027 and requires the government to use a specific formula to determine how much money to allocate.
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The report criticized Pritzker’s pledge to fully fund schools. (iStock)
According to NBEAF and the Partnership for Equality and Educational Rights (PEER IL), Illinois needs to increase its education budget by more than $7 billion by 2027. But in the years since the bill was passed, including under the Pritzker administration, the budget has only seen minimal increases of $350 million per year.
“If Illinois only does the bare minimum each year, it will not come close to meeting the full funding deadline set by law,” the NBEAF report said.
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Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Vice President Kamala Harris (Getty Images)
The law requires the state to fulfill its obligations pursuant to the Illinois Constitution, which states the state’s goal as “to provide for the educational development of all persons to the best of their abilities.”
The report argues that 95 percent of black school districts are currently underfunded, and that in Illinois, white students are more than four times more likely to attend well-funded school districts than white students, exacerbating racial disparities in education.
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Pritzker’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital by publication time.
The report and criticism of the Illinois governor came just days before Governor Pritzker is set to host Democratic leaders from across the country in Chicago for the Democratic National Convention.
