Listen Live
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) – The Illinois Federation of Teachers says the state should use $768 million from a landmark settlement with Meta to fill education funding gaps. However, the state’s top leaders argue that it is the wrong area to use the funds.
IFT President Stacy Davis Gates said Gov. JB Pritzker has said he supports more funding for education but didn’t know where it would come from. She argued the settlement with Meta just made that answer even easier.
“One-time money should really be used for one-time needs,” Pritzker said. “While I understand that some people may view the shortfall in the budget in Chicago as a one-time need, it’s not. There’s an ongoing need.”
Pritzker said the money could be better used to address youth mental health. The Illinois Attorney General’s office agrees, noting the funds can help fix problems Meta’s social media platforms caused for children.
“In the lawsuit, we alleged that Meta intentionally designed Facebook and Instagram to attract and ultimately addict child users,” Attorney General Kwame Raoul said. “Meta misled the public about the devastating mental health harms children could suffer from using Facebook and Instagram.”
The settlement agreement calls for the majority of this money to help address youth mental health problems and the overuse of social media. States have been told they can use the money to expand 988 and text-based youth crisis lifelines, a digital wellness public education fund, and youth mental health programming, among other areas.
“After decades of putting profits before the health and wellness of children, we’re compelling Meta to put our children’s safety and mental health at the forefront,” Raoul said.
The Illinois Federation of Teachers said five out of six children in the state attend an underfunded school. They plan to continue their fight for additional funding before lawmakers return to Springfield for veto session in November.