How Illinois decides what schools get federal money will be explained at O’Fallon Q&A

Officials from the Illinois State Board of Education are coming to O’Fallon to answer questions from parents, students and educators about the state’s new accountability system.

The event is scheduled for 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 23, at O’Fallon Township High School, 600 S. Smiley St.

Under the state’s new accountability system, Illinois schools with struggling students will receive more money to help them improve.

Where the state sends federal dollars will mostly depend on students’ academic performance, including test scores and graduation rates.

Schools with students in the bottom 5 percent statewide will receive the most money. But schools where some groups of students are performing worse than their peers because they live in poverty, for example, will also get help.

In the metro-east, 41 schools have already been notified that they qualify for $15,000 or $50,000.

Those schools are in the following districts:

▪ Alton 11

▪ Belleville 118

▪ Bethalto 8

▪ Brooklyn 188

▪ Cahokia 187

▪ Central 104

▪ Collinsville 10

▪ East Alton-Wood River 14

▪ East St. Louis 189

▪ Granite City 9

▪ Harmony-Emge 175

▪ Lebanon 9

▪ Pontiac 105

▪ Roxana 1

▪ Signal Hill 181

▪ Steeleville 138

▪ Wood River-Hartford 15

The state will eventually notify more schools if they qualify for funding this year based on 2018 data that will be released Oct. 31.

This story was originally published October 19, 2018 at 9:04 AM.