Early estimates show Wilmette Public Schools could receive $210K from federal stimulus bill

The $900-billion stimulus bill passed by Congress in late 2020 will be providing funding to Wilmette Public Schools, officials said, but the precise amount is not yet set in stone. 

On Monday, Jan. 11, District 39 Business Manager Corey Bultemeier briefed members of the committee of the whole on the second substantial round of government funding and what it means for Wilmette Public Schools. 

The bill includes approximately $58 billion in funding for education, Bultemeier said, adding officials have started to see some early “rough estimates” — not directly from the Illinois State Board of Education — indicating what District 39’s portion will be.  

Those estimates show Wilmette Public Schools would receive about $210,000, Bultemeier said. That amount would equate to approximately $50 per student, according to officials. 

Local school districts across New Trier Township will receive funding from the bill, as well. Early indications signal that there appears to be a baseline funding for local districts regardless of its enrollment size, Superintendent Dr. Kari Cremascoli told the board. 

Based on early figures they’ve seen, Wilmette Public Schools officials believe they’ll receive the same amount of funding from the bill as nearby Kenilworth School District 38 and Avoca School District 37, Wilmette’s other elementary district. 

It is unclear as of press time how much federal funding New Trier High School may receive from the bill. 

Bultemeier said the district has not yet received information from ISBE on what it would be allowed to use the funds for. He did add the district would have the ability to use the funding through September 2022. 

“We’ll keep an eye out and then update the board as we get better information on an exact amount and what are the allowable expenditures within that program,” he said. 

The overall portion of money for education in the bill was allocated similarly to the approved funds in the first stimulus package in spring 2020, when it was done primarily based on a district’s Title I status.