East St. Louis schools could lose food pantry, programs while grant is in limbo

East St. Louis School District 189 will likely have to scale back tutoring and before- and after-care programs for its students this fall as a judge weighs the future of a federal grant program for schools.

The U.S. Department of Education canceled funding for the Full Service Community Schools grant program in Illinois last December, stating it did not align with the Trump administration’s priorities. The grant funds programs to support some of the most vulnerable students in the U.S. — many of whom are experiencing housing or food insecurity.

Afterschool for Children and Teens Now Illinois, a nonprofit that administers the grant for 32 schools in districts across the state, sued the department and Secretary of Education Linda McMahon shortly after receiving a notice of discontinuation late last year.

ACT Now has requested a preliminary injunction that would release the funds to schools that use them to support vulnerable students and families. The district received a short reprieve earlier this year when a judge ruled that funding had to be restored until the end of the 2025-26 school year.

The judge has until June 30 to rule, which is when the remainder of the funding will be cut off — leaving school districts scrambling.

Emma Giamberdino, deputy director of policy, communications and external Affairs for ACT Now Illinois, said her organization has already seen some schools lay off staff and cut back programs when the funding was first disrupted in December.

“I unfortunately don’t have a timeline,” Giamberdino said. “A lot of that infrastructure had already been degraded. I think the worst part about this is that students, families and certainly the practitioners and school staff are really the ones that are suffering.”

ACT Now administers $18.5 million to schools in Illinois, which in turn supports about 19,000 students. It’s one of 19 grantees that had their funds cut off across 11 states and the District of Columbia, according to reporting by EdWeek.

The East St. Louis School District was awarded $5 million in 2024, which was set to last for five years. Annette Harris Officer and James Avant Elementary Schools receive $500,000 each.

The money has been used to stock a food pantry that supports dozens of families, clothing and hygiene products for students, according to Desiree Nelson, the district’s community schools specialist.

But more critically, Nelson said, the funds have allowed for the schools to provide targeted reading and math tutoring for students and create new programs to draw students who are chronically absent back to school.

“It’s just really contingent upon the community and what they identify as being their needs, and there’s definitely a lot of needs here,” Nelson said.

The schools serve more than 300 students each, many of whom come from low-income households.

During a tour of Annette Harris Officer Elementary, Nelson pointed to the new paint and pictures of the school’s mascot — a bright orange tiger — that was going up throughout the school. The federal funds helped pay for some of the renovations, which she said will help boost attendance.

“It’s helping parents because their kids have a safe place to go and they’re proud – like when they drive by the building and see all of the enhancements, it’s like oh yeah, my kid goes to this school!” Nelson said.

Nina McLean, assistant principal at Annette Harris Office Elementary, said the funds have been a lifeline.

“Being able to do things for students is one thing. Having the funding to do it the right way, the way you want to do it, is something else,” McLean, who’s also the school’s cheer coach, said. “So I think we would have still done a cheer camp, but would we have been able to afford all the things that we can give them? Probably not.”

Because of the funds, she was able to surprise the cheer team with new, bright orange pompoms — a huge hit with the students.