April 12, 2024

Duckworth Highlights Recent Federal Funding She Secured for Rockford Schools

 

[ROCKFORD, IL] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with leaders from Rockford Public Schools (RPS), Rockford University (RU) and Rock Valley College (RVC) to discuss recent federal support—including for projects she helped secure—for the Rockford-area schools. In last month’s government funding bills, Duckworth secured $300,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) for RPS to fund its initiative with RU for high school students interested in pursuing a career in education to transition to a teacher prep program through the university. And earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Labor announced RVC will receive $5,585,017 in federal support to expand access to training and skills in high demand industries such as automotive, aviation and STEM related fields. Photos from today’s meeting are available on the Senator’s website.

“Our state and our nation are stronger when we invest in our communities and families—and that’s one of the things Congressionally Directed Spending allows us to do,” Duckworth said. “It was great to meet with Rockford’s education leaders today to learn more about how this funding will support the next generation of educators and talk about how we can continue to work together across all levels of government to bring more funding back to the region and support important education and training programs.”

Duckworth today met with RPS Superintendent Dr. Ehren Jarrett, Director of Recruitment Jason Pope and Chief DEI Officer Dr. Antoine Reed, as well as RU Director of Graduate Studies Kelly Monson and RVC President Dr. Howard Spearman.

In Fiscal Year 2024, Duckworth and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) successfully secured more than $264 million through CDS for Illinois, $182 million in FY23 and another $211 million for Illinois in FY22. A map detailing where funding has gone throughout Illinois can be found on the Senator’s website. Senator Duckworth works with an Independent Review Board to examine and evaluate worthwhile projects focused on building infrastructure, stimulating economic development and providing essential services for Illinois communities.

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