Will County schools to receive state library grant funding

Will County — Five local school districts will be receiving extra funding for their library programs this year through the School District Library Grant Program.

State Sen. Meg Loughran Cappel announced Monday that Valley View School District 365U in Bolingbrook and Romeoville, Chaney-Monge School District 88 in Crest Hill, Plainfield School District 202, Richland School District 88A in Crest Hill and Troy Elementary School District 30C in Plainfield and Shorewood all will benefit from the program.

The grant funding is awarded per student within the district. Districts 88 and 88A each will receive $850, while District 202 will receive $20,862 and District 365U will receive $12,694.

District 30C will receive $3,293.

Funding is earmarked for the purchase of library resources – including books, e-books, audiobooks, periodicals, multilingual resources and technology equipment – or to fund library programming.

“As a former special education teacher, I have seen the educational value school libraries provide to a student’s success,” Loughran Cappel said in the statement. “Ensuring school libraries are equipped with fundamental resources allows students to expand their knowledge and interests.”

The funding for the annual grants comes from the general reserve fund and will improve library services for more than 1 million K-12 students across Illinois.

“When we invest in our schools, we are putting our students first,” Loughran Cappel said. “I’m committed to prioritizing Illinois’ education system to ensure our students are set up for success.”