Linking Arms & Saving Dollars
How the New Illinois Together Program is Benefiting Everyone
By Cindy Dykas
Assistant Superintendent for Business Services/CSBO
Worth School District 127
Jessica Gassiyombo
Community Manager – Illinois Together
Bespoke Community Cooperatives
The School District Point-of-View
You haven’t heard of Worth, Illinois? I can’t say I’m surprised. Tucked away in the southwest suburbs of Chicagoland, Worth is a quiet little community that covers just four square miles. Our school district mirrors the size of the town—relatively small, serving just under 1,000 students. It’s a true neighborhood school system, the kind you imagine in old movies. Kids walk to class because we don’t even run buses. Families know each other, teachers know every student by name and the schools are woven right into the fabric of the community.