(excerpts from video):
I am very proud to be the representative of West Chicago, a vibrant community in western DuPage County. In West Chicago we have a saying, “West Chicago has heart; West Chicago tiene corazón.” and in West Chicago we DO have heart: the beating heart of the community is our schools.
Our schools do more than educate: They feed hungry families, they provide mental health care, they create leadership opportunities for students and parents. They help solve transportation challenges. They support families facing food and housing instability. They truly wrap their arms around the whole child and the whole family. And because of that, they have earned trust in our community.
The reason West Chicago School District 33 has been able to provide these life-changing services is they receive federal Full Service Community Schools grant dollars. And let me tell you: those dollars are stretched, maximised, and poured directly back into children and families.
Then, just days before winter break, everything changed. The rug was ripped out from West Chicago.
Effective December 31, 2025, the Donald Trump administration froze $18,500,000 ($18.5M) in Full Service Community School Grants across Illinois. And over the past year, the US Department of Education has cancelled hundreds of grants, serving schools from Metropolis to Chicago. Schools that depend on this funding to serve our most vulnerable children.
These are not items on a spreadsheet. These are children, these are our families, and these are real lives. This is not just happening in West Chicago, it is happening from Southern Illinois all the way to Northern Illinois.
Let’s be clear: feeding a hungry child is not political. Providing mental health care is not ideological. Helping a student learn English is not controversial. And offering after-school tutoring is not radical. It is compassionate. It is responsible. And it is necessary.
This is not fiscal responsibility.
This is abandonment.
We call on Congress to release every single dollar of Congressionally-approved funding for Illinois children.
We are not turning our backs on our kids here in Illinois. If Washington refuses to stand up for our families, we will stand up for ourselves. We will fight for our schools. We will fight for our communities. And we will fight for every child’s and family’s right to opportunity. That’s whaty HB5362 and HB5363 are so important: so as a state we can continue to fund the good work that Illinois’ schools are doing. Because in Illinois we do not balance our budget on the backs of families and children.
Rep. Maura Hirschauer
(D-Batavia)
49th District
Springfield Office:
270-S Stratton Office Building
Springfield, IL 62706
(217) 782-1653
District Office:
946 Neltnor Blvd #104
West Chicago IL 60185