* Gubernatorial candidate JB Pritzker in 2018…

“I’m opposed to that $75 million tax credit, that [Invest in Kids] school voucher system [that Bruce Rauner has] created, and we should as soon as possible do away with it. What I oppose is taking money out of the public schools, and that’s what happened here.”

* His first year in office…

The Illinois General Assembly made some major moves on education issues this [2019] legislative session that ended on Sunday, including boosting spending on schools, tackling the state’s teacher shortage and weakening charter schools. Gov. JB Pritzker also retained a private school scholarship program even though he had vowed to end it. […]

The Invest In Kids Act is a five-year pilot that allows people to donate up to $1.3 million to special scholarship funds and in return get a 75% tax credit. Then, students from low- or middle-income families apply for a scholarship to a private school. Of the 7,000 scholarships awarded since 2018, nearly 5,000 winners were low income, the state’s annual report shows. Critics of the program say it diverts taxpayer dollars that could be going to public schools.

Pritzker had originally proposed capping the tax credit program at $50 million dollars during the three-year phase-out, down from $100 million. But late last week, after negotiations, Pritzker agreed to keep the program as long as the state funnels at least $350 million in new dollars into K-12 funding each year.

* From Pritzker’s budget proposal in 2021…

Pritzker requested tax deductions for donations to the Invest in Kids Tax Credit Scholarship program be reduced from 75% to 40% to save the state $14 million as the state faces a tight budget year after COVID-19 slowed revenue.

* From the coverage of the budget that passed in 2021…

After back-and-forth over whether the state should continue a tax credit scholarship program called Invest in Kids — an earlier proposal from the governor cut the program considerably, down to 40% — legislators agreed to keep the program intact in the final deal they passed. Under the plan, taxpayers will continue to receive an income tax credit for 75% of a qualified donation as in previous years. Republican House leader Jim Durkin called that a victory on Tuesday even as he criticized the last-minute nature of the process.

* 2022…

Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a bill yesterday that amends Illinois’ Invest in Kids Tax Credit Scholarship program to protect already-enrolled students. It is effective immediately. […]

Bill 4126, sponsored by state Rep. Curtis Tarver, D-Chicago, grants super-priority status to current recipients of the Invest in Kids scholarship, providing assurance to families in the program that if students receive a scholarship one year, they will be first in line for a scholarship the next year. The legislation also gives schools greater flexibility to offer more partial scholarships. […]

“We’re pleased to see this bill signed into law as these scholarships can be life-changing for low-income families who wish to provide their children an education that fits their unique needs,” said Amy Korte, executive vice president for the Illinois Policy Institute. “The next step is ensuring the program will last beyond another year and can be there for the long term for students in need.”

* Gov. Pritzker on the 2022 campaign trail…

My main focus with respect to K-12 education is ensuring that there is sufficient funding for all children to receive a quality education, regardless of their zip code. That’s why I’ve dedicated an additional $1.3 billion toward public education during my term. With assurance from the advocates for Invest in Kids that they will support increased public school funding, my budgets have ultimately included the relatively small Invest in Kids Scholarship Program.

* Gov. Pritzker last month…

I think we should have tax credits that support education and other things in state government, but we also have the federal government willing to cover about 40% of the cost. Why have we created a program in which we’re paying for 75% of it and not having the rest of the country essentially paying 40 percent. This is a problem in the fundamental makeup of it. And I’ve suggested to the General Assembly if they decide to renew Invest in Kids, let’s alleviate the burden on Illinois taxpayers and make sure that, frankly, as other states do, let’s let other states pay in part for the benefit that we get.

* Gov. Pritzker this month…

Legislators didn’t lift the end-of-year sunset on the Invest in Kids program before they adjourned spring session. Last week, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said discussions continue.

“I’m willing to work with the program if it gets extended or to figure out how we would wind down the program if it doesn’t get extended,” Pritzker said.

The program is funded with private donations in exchange for a 75% state income tax credit. More than 41,000 students have benefited since the program was started nearly 5 years ago.

Pritzker said “nobody is trying to shut anything down.” […]

“People who say, ‘well, actually it’s not costing taxpayers anything,’ Actually, it’s costing taxpayers 75% of the total amount that gets raised,” Pritzker said. “And so that’s something that I think some people who are budget conscious are paying attention to as well.”

He went from wanting to kill it, to proposing a cap, to fully funding it, to wanting to limit it, to saying he’d keep it and calling it “relatively small,” to saying “some people who are budget conscious” are paying attention to the costs.

I really gotta find a chiropractor.

…Adding… Empower Illinois…

Empower Illinois and the thousands of families and students who rely on the Illinois Tax Credit Scholarship Program for their education are deeply concerned by Governor J.B. Pritzker’s recent remarks stating, ‘I am willing to work with the (tax credit scholarship) program or figure out how to wind down the program if it’s not extended.’

We hope it was only a misstatement from the Governor and not a softening on his commitment to support Illinois’ most vulnerable families.

Governor Pritzker’s inclusion of an option to “wind down” such an impactful program is a departure from his previous statements in late May where he said, ‘If the legislature passes something, I will sign it.’ Ending the Tax Credit Scholarship Program means ripping scholarships away from the most vulnerable, poor, and working-class children and their families. Black and Brown students will be disproportionally impacted if the Tax Credit Scholarship Program is killed by inaction as the Governor suggested, and that is unacceptable.

Announcing any burial plans for a program that has been immensely successful for Illinois children would be beyond premature. We expect lawmakers to do what’s right by children–extend the program, with no cuts, no wind down.

We urge Governor Pritzker and the Illinois General Assembly to act this fall during Veto Session to immediately extend the Invest in Kids Act Tax Credit Scholarship Program, providing Illinois kids and families with the reassurance and support they so rightly deserve.