Lake County Gazette

State Sen. Adriane Johnson (D-Buffalo Grove) has sponsored new legislation aimed at helping school districts in the state bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic without losing state funding due to a decrease in student enrollment. 

How much money a school district receives is calculated based on the previous three years' average enrollment. Thanks to Senate Bill 813, an initiative spearheaded by Waukegan School District 60, school districts won't be penalized if their student enrollment dropped amid the global health crisis. 

"Our schools did an exceptional job helping our students learn through the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, as they prepare for a full return to the classroom, it's critical they have all the resources they need to recover," Johnson wrote in a June 25 Facebook post. "Thank you, Waukegan Public Schools, for helping turn this initiative into law!"

Under the new law, school districts will be allowed to total their average student enrollment based on pre-COVID numbers, according to a release on Johnson's Senate website. 

The same release noted that districts would be able to use attendance records from the 2019-20 or 2020-21 school year so that they won't lose out on critical funding.

Johnson's website said Senate Bill 813 takes effect immediately.