Over 100 organizations have endorsed the principles of A+ Illinois. They represent a broad range of civic, education, children’s advocacy, business, labor, civil rights, faith-based, human services, and community organizations:
Action for Children
Adams County All Our Kids Network
Adventures in Parenting (Downers Grove )
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Illinois Council 31
Albany Park Community Center (Chicago )
American Association of University Women- Illinois, Inc.
Aurora East Unit School District 131
Bell School Local School Council (Chicago)
Bethalto Community Unit School District 8
Bethel New Life, Inc. (Chicago )
Business and Professional People for the Public Interest
Casa Guanajuato Cultural Center (Moline )
Center for Impact Research (Chicago)
Center for Tax and Budget Accountability
Central States SER - Jobs for Progress, Inc.
Chicago Coalition for the Homeless
Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
Chicago Principles and Administrators Association
Chicago Public Schools
Child Care Resource Service (Urbana)
Citizen Action / Illinois
Citizen's Resource for Women and Children
Coalition for School Funding Reform (Bloomington-Normal area )
Community Behavioral Healthcare Association of Illinois
Community Coordinated Child Care (DeKalb )
Community Renewal Society (Chicago )
CORE4Kids (Carpentersville / Northwest suburbs of Chicago )
Creative America Project (Chicago)
Edwards County Teachers Association
Erie Neighborhood House (Chicago )
Fair Funding for Illinois Schools
Faith & Public Issues Task Force, St. Paul's United Church of Christ (Chicago )
Family Matters Parent Training & Information Center (Effingham)
Griffin Center (East St. Louis )
Health & Medicine Policy Research Group (Chicago )
HealthReach (Waukegan)
Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights (Chicago)
Herscher Community Unit School District 2
Huntington Learning Center (Plainfield)
IEA Region 11 (Springfield )
Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health (Chicago)
Illinois Education Association
Illinois Federation of Teachers
Illinois Healthy Schools Campaign
Illinois Leadership Council for Agricultural Education
Illinois Maternal and Child Health Coalition
Illinois Network of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies
L. Boswell Contractor Services
Leadership Council for Metropolitan Open Communities (Chicago )
League of United Latin-American Citizens, Illinois
League of Women Voters of Illinois
Local Initiatives Support Corporation / Chicago
Lutheran Child and Family Services of Illinois
Lutheran Network for Justice Advocacy
Lutheran Social Services of Illinois
Malones Early Learning Centers (Carterville)
Metropolitan Alliance of Congregations
Mexican-American Legal Defense and Educational Fund
National Association of Social Workers - Illinois Chapter
National Council of Jewish Women - Illinois State Public Affairs
North Palos Elementary School District 117 (Palos Hills)
Northern Illinois Center for Independent Living
Oak Park Elementary School District 97
Parents United for Responsible Education (Chicago)
Partnership for Quality Child Care (Chicago)
Peterson School PTA (Chicago)
Protestants for the Common Good
Reading in Motion (Chicago)
Resources Unlimited Foundation
Ryan Companies U.S., Inc., Midwest Division (Naperville)
Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law
Service Employees International Union, Local 73 (Chicago)
Small Schools Workshop, University of Illinois at Chicago
Small World Child Development Center (Marion)
South Austin Coalition
South Cook Education Consortium
Southern Illinois University, Department of Curriculum & Instruction (Carbondale )
Statewide Housing Action Coalition
Summit Center (Elgin)
Task Force to Oppose Casino Gambling in Chicago
Teachers Academy for Mathematics and Science
Unity for Our Community (Springfield )
Victor C. Neumann Association (Chicago )
Volunteers for North Chicago Children (Lake Forest)
ZION Development Corporation (Rockford)
Some of those involved share why their respective organizations are active in A+ Illinois:
“One of MPC's top priorities is to reduce Illinois' reliance on the property tax. To fund education and local government, municipalities all too often race to grab up land for new development at the expense of well-planned communities that have a balance of open space, transportation and housing options. Worse yet, a child's education ends up being determined by his or her address.” – MarySue Barrett, President, Metropolitan Planning Council
“Our state's revenue system is fundamentally flawed and incapable of providing the necessary resources for vital public needs. The 75,000 AFSCME members working to provide human services, public safety, and education experience that failure every day. A+ Illinois has come together to promote a comprehensive restructuring of the Illinois tax system to promote fairness, better opportunities, and a secure foundation for public services for all the state's citizenry.” – Henry Bayer, Executive Director, AFSCME Council 31
“Teachers know firsthand how difficult it is to provide quality education absent sufficient funding. They also understand that, despite their often-heroic efforts, fundamental change is needed to ensure that all children receive a quality education. It’s certainly true that a good education is more than a function of money. Yet absent real school finance reform, class-sizes will continue to increase, new buildings will remain unused, and ultimately children will be left behind. The Illinois Education Association supports the A+ campaign because our member teachers know true reform is needed.” – Ken Swanson, President, Illinois Education Association
“The Center joined A+ Illinois for a very simple reason. The unfair and poorly designed Illinois fiscal system has been a major impediment to a host of good initiatives in this state, but particularly school funding reform. The way Illinois funds schools has failed our children for generations. It's time to face this reality and attain fair, sustainable and accountable school funding reform. The bottom line is, we won't do a better job of educating our children for tomorrow, unless we get our fiscal house in order today.” – Ralph M. Martire, Executive Director, Center for Tax and Budget Accountability
“Education funding reform has been designated one of the Illinois Farm Bureau's top-five priorities this year by the IFB board. The need for adequate and equitable education funding has been a key component of our policy for more than two decades. We remain firmly committed to those goals.” – Philip Nelson, President, Illinois Farm Bureau
“Every Illinois child deserves an A+ education, no matter where they live. We must improve funding for all of the different state supports that influence academic success, from schools to human services, because so much of what affects learning ability relates to home and family factors. Unless we improve both education and the state budget, the quality of learning and the quality of life in our communities will only get worse.” – Jerome Stermer, President, Voices for Illinois Children
“Modernization of the Illinois revenue system is long overdue. Substantial reform positions the state to adequately and fairly fund education and keep its commitment to provide healthcare and human services.” – John Bouman, Director of Advocacy, Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law
“I support A+ Illinois because it is a chance for the state to create the resources needed to close the longstanding achievement gap among districts. It is also a chance to end inequities that exist with respect to schools’ ability to provide opportunities for children to learn. ” – Max McGee, President of the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy