As returning students and staff look forward to the 2027-28 school year with excitement and optimism, a sense of uncertainty looms over Plainfield East as it navigates funding reductions, thanks to the Illinois Board of Education. District 202 will receive $7 million less in funding due to its reclassification from “tier one” to “tier two.”

The Illinois Board of Education classifies schools into four different tiers, the best being reserved for schools in the top 10% performance wise. District 202’s recategorization comes after Chicago Public Schools recently moved into this tier one, a core cause in the difference in funding, 202 believes.

“When you have a bigger district that then comes into that tier, Chicago Public Schools fall into that tier one now, that takes up a big chunk,” said Kai Freeman, Plainfield East Principal.  “That leaves others that have to go in a different direction.”

Chicago Public Schools gained $76 million in funding, announced by the state in August. District 202 Board of Education President Rod Westfall believes the new allocation of funds is unjust, citing District 202’s stable student population compared to Chicago’s loss of students.

“We believe this is a back door way to fund CPS, and we’re ticked off about it,” said Westfall. “They have lost 30,000 kids this year.”

While Westfall and the district fight to reobtain the funding, the administration at the high school level looks for ways to maximize the funding the school is still receiving.

“You have to find ways to make the most of what you have, and it does put you in a situation where you do have to kind of reflect a little bit and prioritize your spending,” said Freeman. “We’re always trying to look at what we can do to maintain what we have, and that’s the goal is to maintain what we have.”

Freeman admits that the loss will affect upgrades in technology as well as new material at East. Despite this, the school is sparing no effort in delivering the same learning experience to students.

“If there’s some new tech or some new materials that are state of the art and it might not be attainable right now because the funding isn’t there,” said Freeman.  “There’s always something new and when I speak on just giving students that experience, you want it the most.”