Staff Reports
The Invest in Kids scholarship tax credit program, Illinois' only school choice project, is about to expire because the Democratic-controlled Illinois General Assembly declined to extend it. With the program scheduled to end on December 31, families and advocates of educational independence are discouraged.
In stark contrast to the Chicago Teachers Union, which is celebrating the program's termination as a "historic win for public education," the Catholic Conference of Illinois is disappointed. The Catholic Conference of Illinois claims that the Assembly's decision has placed thousands of eager students and families in a state of uncertainty, with over 26,000 students on a waitlist having no options and 9,500 scholarships not accessible for the upcoming academic year.
Illinois’ scholarship tax credit program comes to an endhttps://t.co/PPsUMFqiA3
— The Center Square (@thecentersquare) December 28, 2023
Through the Invest in Kids initiative, low-income children could attend private schools when their public education fell short, thanks to scholarships funded by private benefactors. Donors were reimbursed with an Illinois income tax credit equivalent to 75% of their contribution in exchange. With almost 40,000 scholarships given out since the program's launch in 2018, it has given kids with few educational options a chance.
A tax scholarship expert with the American Federation for Children, Hera Varmah, voiced concerns regarding a possible mass migration of Illinois families in search of better educational opportunities in other states. Varmah emphasized the need of giving families the freedom to select the greatest learning environment for their kids and cautioned against denying them this choice as it may cause discontent and forced relocations.
The program's detractors said that it took funds away from public education. Data, however, paints a different image. Despite a drop in overall enrollment, funding for public schools in Illinois increased by about $2 billion after the program's launch. Scholarship recipients were expected to take the same standardized tests as kids in public schools as part of the program. In 2024, the Illinois State Board of Education will publish a report based on test scores from 2022 and 2023.
The scholarship program's future without the tax credit incentive seems dismal, even though current winners are funded for the rest of the academic year. Families and advocates who have seen firsthand the transforming potential of school choice are impacted by this setback. Benefiting from school choice, Varmah underlined how crucial it is for every family to have access to educational options that can pave the way for a better future.
