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* Center Square…

Whether Illinois legislators save the Invest in Kids Tax Credit Scholarship Program that is set to expire at the end of this year is still unknown.

Under a five-year trial period, the Invest in Kids Tax program has provided tuition money for working class and low-income families who want to send their children to Illinois private schools. The initiative is set to expire at the end of 2023, unless the state legislature acts to extend it. Lawmakers are in session through May 19.

Anthony Holter is president of Empower Illinois, a research and advocacy organization that promotes the program and raises scholarship funds. Holter said 9,700 students received scholarships for the 2022-2023 school year. Twenty-two thousand students were wait-listed for scholarships when the $75 million in donated funds was used up. The program is capped at $100 million in donations.

“We love pilot programs, because we know unequivocally that this program works,” Holter told The Center Square. “Over $330 million has been raised in the past five years and almost 41,000 scholarships have been issued.” […]

Two-thirds of scholarship recipients have an average family household income of $45,046, or 170% of the federal poverty level. Seventy percent of scholarship recipients meet federal guidelines to be eligible for the free and reduced lunch program. The upper income limit cutoff for the program is $90,000 a year for a family of four.

Taxpayers who donate to a Children Benefit from Education Scholarship Organization can apply online at Tax.Illinois.gov to receive the 75% tax credit in return for their donation. For a $1,000 donation, the taxpayer receives a $750 tax credit.

That $330 million raised through the program cost the state $247.5 million in revenue via the tax credits. Using the figures supplied in the article, the average scholarship is about $800.

* From an Illinois Families for Public Schools one-pager…

Voucher programs like Illinois’ tax credit scholarship program divert resources from our under-funded public schools and don’t improve academic outcomes for voucher recipients. ILGA passed the Invest in Kids Act in 2017 with the intent for it to sunset after five years.

Why is this important?

• Vouchers reduce funding for public schools: The Invest in Kids program diverts up to $75M/year in tax revenue funding vouchers. Meanwhile, 80% of Illinois public schools are not adequately funded. Every dollar diverted to private schools via the Invest in Kids Act is one that could be used to increase state funding of the Evidence-Based Funding Formula, which is still short ~$4B. At the current rate of increasing funding, the state won’t reach full funding until 2051.

• Vouchers allow the use of taxpayer public funds for religious schools: The vast majority of voucher recipients (~94%) in Illinois are attending religiously-affiliated schools. Using tax credits to pay for religious schools is a violation of one of the fundamental principles the US was founded on—separation of church and state.

• Vouchers do not improve academic outcomes: Advocates argue that vouchers provide access to high quality private education for poor children. In fact, decades of studies of voucher programs across the country have not found evidence that voucher students outperform their demographically-matched public school counterparts. More recent long-term studies of programs, including those in DC, IN, LA and OH, have found that students who participate in voucher programs fare substantially worse academically (e.g. based on graduation rates and test scores) than students educated in public schools.

• Vouchers decrease equity: The ~900,000 low-income students in IL public schools will not be helped by diverting funds to a privatized system that could be used instead to provide funding needed for smaller class sizes, enriched curriculum, better professional development and wraparound services and supports. Vouchers instead concentrate the highest need children in public schools while decreasing resources for those same schools.

• Vouchers decrease accountability and transparency: Private schools are not held to the same standards of accountability as public schools. They are not required to disclose how much money they spend on faculty, resources, or materials. Private schools don’t have to make their academic standards public or reveal what their curriculum is. To date, there is no public information about the performance of Illinois’ voucher students.

• Vouchers put students at risk of discrimination: Private schools receiving vouchers in Illinois must follow state and federal anti-discrimination laws, but there is little oversight, and there are no mechanisms for enforcement or compliance. Discrimination on the basis of religion, disability status and sexual orientation in admissions and other school policies is a significant issue in the schools receiving Invest in Kids’ vouchers.

• Vouchers don’t have to provide a broad education: Schools receiving vouchers don’t have to comply with the full Illinois School Code, including curriculum requirements designed to educate well-rounded citizens of a multicultural, multiracial democracy.

* The Question: End it or extend it? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.

online polls

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 10:40 am

Comments

I want to know how the system is working before deciding. Have they looked at test scores, comparing students to similarly demographic peers that didn’t get a scholarship (but applied for one they have the waitlist for that) to see if students did better with the scholarships.

Comment by cermak_rd Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 10:42 am
The poor and middle class need any help possible.

Comment by This Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 10:47 am
Voted to end it. Schools that aren’t subject to the same operating rules should not receive tax dollars directly or through write offs. Additionally, these schools don’t perform any better than their public school counterparts. I want all my tax dollars and more going to heavy investments in public education infrastructure and staffing as well as adequate safety nets for families and communities. Investments in people and infrastructure for community’s schools and safety nets build for the future.

Comment by froganon Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 10:53 am
I grew up in an area where you either drive 30 miles to have a job with good pay and benefits or you work in town for minimum wage. We had two grade schools, one public and one private, and a public high school. Both schools were good and people sent their kids to the private school mainly for religious reasons. About 10 years ago a large section 8 housing development was built in town and since then the level of education received at the public school has declined greatly due to discipline issues among the students. Everyone that can afford to is sending their kids to the private school so they can actually get a good education and avoid the discipline issues that teachers spend all day dealing with instead of instructing students. I say extend it. It gives more people access to a quality education, regardless of their financial situation.

Comment by Notorious JMB Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 10:54 am
We still don’t have data from ISBE on teh academic side, but if you look at the data from across the country, voucher programs do not provide the benefit they promise.
https://time.com/6272666/school-voucher-programs-hurt-students/

Comment by separation Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 10:56 am
I’m a bigger fan of public school choice (including the ability of parents to enroll kids in out-of-district schools with the space), but until we have that I’ll support opening opportunities despite some valid arguments against the program.

Comment by lake county democrat Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 10:57 am
“End it”

Why?

The Republicans that complain about fiscal responsibility and talk of a want of cuts, welp, here’s a cut.

Republicans that continually vote against budgets but show up to ribbon cuttings and do press release for items they never supported, voted against, or didn’t vote for with a budget, here’s your chance to crow about cuts.

That’s why, that’s the only “why” I have because it’s tiring that programs that need funding never get the budgetary votes that provide revenues in an overall.

It’s a microcosm of the bigger political picture one party wants seen only in pieces while pandering to minority thinking of the party.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 11:01 am
End it. The voucher-charter industrial complex is a leech on tax dollars and further enables systemic racism in public education. You don’t “fix” that inequity by throwing more money at it — you fix it by ending the voucher-charter scheme and fairly, justly funding public education. Not to mention, charters and private schools tend to vastly underperform public schools when normed for demographics.

To the commenter who spoke about “discipline” issues, there’s an easy fix to that problem, and it’s to make sure that the students from all income bands have access to a quality public education system that meets their needs. “I’m moving my kid out because of the other kids in their school” really, really reeks of privilege.

Comment by Father Jones Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 11:03 am
Expand it. The public schools near me are terrible, it has been that way for decades. These schools do not have to complete and parents have no choice so the incentive to get better is minimal. The Empower Illinois - Invest in Kids Tax Credit Scholarship Program has opened up the opportunity for parents to choose to send kids to area Catholic/Lutheran/Christian/private schools.

Comment by Donnie Elgin Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 11:03 am
Why should donations to a scholarship fund for private schools get special tax breaks? If I donate to a public school foundation…I get a normal tax donation for it. These donations should not be treaded differently than that. There should not be special tax breaks.

Comment by DTown Resident Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 11:05 am
Public dollars should never be funneled to private schools. Full stop.

Comment by Matty Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 11:07 am
End it.

The predominant beneficiary of this program is Catholic Schools.

The Catholic Church is the richest organization on the planet. They can give out their own scholarships. This is exactly what they are supposed to be doing with all that tax free money they have.

Comment by TheInvisibleMan Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 11:08 am
End it.

Why? What froganon so very succinctly said.

You get public dollars you follow the same rules as a public school. Period. Until that happens vouchers and scholarships are not worth talking about.

Also, why do private schools need to be bailed out with public dollars?

Comment by JS Mill Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 11:08 am
End it.

Public funding for education should go to public schools.

Comment by hisgirlfriday Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 11:12 am
Based on the numbers it seems parents have been using the program to make choices they believe to be in the best interests of their children.
With over 40,000 scholarships granted by the program it is hard to argue that the program is not off to a solid start and should be expanded so more children can participate.
This seems like a thoughtful and appropriate way to give children some financial help in seeking a different educational option.

Comment by Back to the Future Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 11:12 am
===The public schools near me are terrible, it has been that way for decades. These schools do not have to complete and parents have no choice so the incentive to get better is minimal.===

They can move. No one is a victim to their life choices.

The same exact folks that complain about tax breaks and welfare now seem focused on what these breaks do for parochial schools and choice?

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 11:13 am
I voted to extend the program. If parents and students are happy with it , why not keep it ? It also introduces some competition in the government schooling situation. But, I do realize it might not survive. More people are giving up on government schooling for the lack of quality and accountability.

Comment by Steve Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 11:14 am
I voted end it. The state is not obligated to provide private schools for those who do not wish to attend state-sponsored schools.

Christian academies have a long history in America. Homeschooling has a long history in America. Elite schools for the rich have a long history in America.

When states such as Illinois (circa 1872) decided that they were obligated to educate all children regardless of race, color, creed or religion, these states did not carve out different schools for different agenda. Rather, these states promised to educate all kids equally, and to the best of the states’ abilities.

People who reject public schools are making serious life choices for that may affect their children’s futures. But the state is only obligate to allow parents to opt out of schools funded by the state. The state is not obligated to provide the kinds of schooling that various parents and various groups desire.

This plan began as an attempt to force the State of Illinois to go down the road of supporting vouchers. If the program has learned that it is not sustainable, so be it. If the state finds that it is costing the state a quarter of a billion dollars in lost revenues, then the state needs to stop.

Comment by H-W Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 11:16 am
TheInvisibleMan is spot on… if these schools are so worried about educating children, they can do it on their own dime. How about we work to fix all school funding across the board instead? Maybe get some donations from these tax-free organizations to help the kiddos in their own neighborhoods.

Comment by Squirrel Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 11:16 am
-They can move.-

Not every parent can afford to move to a different school district. This is the nice thing about the program, it extends choices to struggling communities.

Comment by Steve Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 11:16 am
End it.

If school choice and scholarships are that important then the people donating should continue it without any special incentive.

Comment by Cool Papa Bell Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 11:23 am
Voted to extend it. However, maybe reduce the tax credit to address the “public funding of school” issue. Also, I may change my mind as I’m also wondering about the success of the students that received the help as that wasn’t mentioned.

I believe this is a program that is helping the youth become better students (hopefully) and providing a way out to better themselves as they get older and not become part of the gangs/crime problem.

Comment by Snowman61 Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 11:25 am
End it. In states all across the country, including Illinois, 60% to 80% of the kids receiving vouchers have never attended public schools. These voucher programs are a subsidy to families who can already afford to send their kids to private school.

Comment by Dunwich Snorer Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 11:25 am
End it. The state of Illinois should not be subsidizing private, mostly religious schools; nor should it be giving the wealthy another tax break. They want to give scholarships? Go ahead but don’t short the state of Illinois. Many Catholic schools have substantial endowment funds they should be using for scholarships, instead of having their hands out for public assistance.

Comment by Teach Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 11:25 am
To NotoriousJMB, what supports has your hometown provided to the Section 8 families? After-school programs? Tutoring? Mentoring? Health clinics? Parent ed programs? All those things end up helping with discipline issues. Maybe your town has tried all those and you just didn’t mention it.

Comment by itsjustme Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 11:28 am
End it.
We are taking money from our schools and wasting it on private religious orgs for zero benefit while paying NGOs a 5% fee for the privilege of playing a shell game with the money.

You might as well ask the government to pay a private taxi service to pick people up and transport them to church every week.

Comment by Twitter cat lady Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 11:36 am
In the hope that choice and competition will give Illinois students greater math proficiency: “Using the figures supplied in the article, the average scholarship is about $800.” Um, $330 million split into 41,000 scholarships averages $8,073.

Has anyone reported how many Illinois legislators, state officials and their children have benefited from parochial or other private schools? And is it inconvenient to lawmakers that parents with lesser incomes want that same opportunity for their children?

Comment by Perplexed Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 11:39 am
End it. I prefer my tax dollars to go to education that is not allowed to discriminate against kids with challenging disabilities or different religious beliefs, or against protected categories of teachers in their hiring. To those who would say the private school in their area needs support because the public school is so bad they don’t want to send their kids there, I would argue the exact opposite. All kids deserve access to a decently-funded school that can offer the necessary supports needed for their regional population.

Comment by Earnest Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 11:39 am
=These schools do not have to complete and parents have no choice so the incentive to get better is minimal.=

SO your position is that only if there is a penalty, they will attempt to improve? I want to understand your position and why you formed it.

Comment by JS Mill Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 11:42 am
- Steve -

Understood. Thank you.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 11:43 am
I voted to END “Invest in Kids” for all the reasons given by Illinois Families above (of which I’m not a member, but think they’re doing terrific work on this!) One additional point is that these “scholarship”/voucher programs don’t just stay at the $75 Million level (which is bad enough). If it’s Wisconsin or Florida, once in place, they balloon - to $200 Million, $500 Million, or even $1 Billion dollars. With “Invest in Kids” in place, full funding for public schools is unlikely to EVER happen.

Comment by Betsy Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 11:49 am
I voted to end it. As a parent of children who went to private/parochial schools, and as a member of the boards of those institutions, I very much appreciate the financial challenges associated with operating those institutions. However, this program is bad public policy because it diverts tax money away from underfunded public education. It’s also horrible policy for the private institutions because at some point, the state will attach strings to receiving its money, which means the private institutions will have to adopt policies counter to their beliefs if they want to keep receiving the funding to which they’ve become accustomed.

Comment by Johnny Tractor Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 11:53 am
If it isn’t broke let’s break it because our special interests demand it.

Eliminating the option for low income children who are frequently minorities to send their children to the school of their choice is somehow equity?

Comment by Lucky Pierre Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 11:58 am
End it. This is just a handout to higher earners who are going to send their kids to religious schools regardless. Put that money back into public schools.

Comment by Excitable Boy Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 12:01 pm
- “Using the figures supplied in the article, the average scholarship is about $800.”

$330 million / 41 thousand scholarships is about $8,000/scholarship.

Did I misread somewhere?

Comment by MikeMacD Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 12:03 pm
== Public dollars should never be funneled to private schools. ==

Even without this program, there are quite a few ways public funds are expended on private schools
Text book and transportation subsidies are the first items that come to mind.

Comment by RNUG Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 12:06 pm
Voted to extend it. Better to help some kids than none.

Comment by RNUG Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 12:15 pm
Extend it. Let’s be clear - textbook and transportation subsidies have not been available for over a decade. They are on the books, but they haven’t been funded in state budgets in years.

Remember that this was part of a 2017 compromise agreement to increase funding to public schools (which has also been done). I know, I know, elections have consequences…

Although there is no state funding for private schools in Illinois why are so many hung up on this? Aren’t federal Pell grants available to students who go to University of Notre Dame, DePaul University, Loyola Chicago, etc? Other than the fact that the US can make its own decisions, separate and distinct from IL, how is this different? Is anyone complaining about Pell grants? Not that I’ve heard of.

Comment by School Guy Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 12:19 pm
My real vote would be:
Expand it

Comment by Lurker Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 12:20 pm
===federal===

After that I just stopped reading. We’re talking about Illinois, this state.

Further, the taxes lost, those who continually vote against budgets while squeezing money out of revenues to subsidize parochial schools…

If the altruism is predicated on a tax break, you’d think if these folks believe in parochial schools they’d fund scholarships with the school’s or larger governing body’s help.

The concern for the poor and my “moving” comment, I wanted to see how that would go, as schooling altruism is predicated on a tax break, folks can stay where they live, which also might not be ideal is fine.

So, to the post, still “end it”, the framework to scholastic help is now a list of folks who gave out of the goodness of their heart, so…

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 12:27 pm
End it. Don’t want to pay for the Republican school agenda that’s so evident in Florida and other states. The bootstrap pullers and those who abhor “free stuff” can pay for it themselves.

Comment by Grandson of Man Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 12:35 pm
With several commenters objecting to public dollars funding sectarian schools, the logical extension is to halt public dollars funding Lutheran, Catholic and other sectarian social services agencies. In each case, the sectarian institutions provide services at lower costs than governments would incur if they instead provided those services. Consider:

ISBE says public schools statewide spend more than $20,000 in state/local/federal dollars per school year per student (https://www.isbe.net/Documents/2021-Annual-Report.pdf#page=14, ). Spending $8,073 in public dollars to educate a child for a year thus saves more than $12,000 that governments can deploy as they see fit.

No one is suggesting that private schools — or sectarian human services agencies — are squandering public dollars or turning a profit. In each case a private provider is serving a public need at lower cost than taxpayers otherwise would have to shoulder.

So if we’re going to keep all public dollars from going to all sectarian institutions, fine. Let’s not just do it for schools that educate children at less than 40% of the taxpayer burden that public schools impose.

Comment by Perplexed Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 12:35 pm
End it. Never should have done it in the first place. Schools that can pick & choose their students are PRIVATE schools. If a family wants to go private, fine, but not with public money.

Comment by northsider (the original) Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 12:35 pm
===logical extension is to halt public dollars funding Lutheran, Catholic and other sectarian social services agencies===

Catholic Charities was cut out of state adoptions and foster kid programs because they refused to work with gay parents.

As far as I know, LSSI social workers don’t proselytize on the job.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 12:39 pm
End it! No public tax money for private schools–especially when public schools, which serve the vast majority of Illinois students, are chronically underfunded. Donors can continue to support private schools without a special tax break at the expense of the rest of us.

Comment by Chris Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 12:39 pm
Voted to end it. No one can provide any data that “new” opportunities have been created. No one can provide any data regarding improved outcomes for students receiving scholarships.

Comment by A Parent Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 12:39 pm
===the logical extension is to halt public dollars funding Lutheran, Catholic and other sectarian social services agencies.===

Rauner did that. For a whole General Assembly

Rauner did that to cause pain.

Not helping parochial schools isn’t a pain for Illinois.

Can you explain how those social services come under a contract and how would that be equal to schools?

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 12:40 pm
Public dollars should not be used for religious education which is what Invest in Kids is all about..I hold nothing against parochial education if that is your choice as a parent. But, anyone making that choice should not receive public tax payer dollars.The public schools in Illinois,, especially CPS, are underfunded.

Comment by Carol Reichel Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 12:42 pm
Catholic schools all my life, but I believe that money should go to improving public schools, not shoring up parochial schools at risk of closing due to low attendance.

Comment by Chito Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 12:54 pm
End it. Public money should go to public schools.

Comment by Day Late Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 12:55 pm
If you have look closely at this..the organization Empower Illinois drafted this and also set themselves up to get a percent of the money as the largest administrator of these donations. They the also spread wire points level disinformation about schools using the similar distortions of test scores and when they mean

Comment by DTownResident Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 12:57 pm
=because our special interests demand it.=

The private schools clamoring for this money are a special interest.

=Spending $8,073 in public dollars to educate a child for a year thus saves more than $12,000 that governments can deploy as they see fit.=

Your math is overly simplistic and a false narrative.

If those 40,000 students were added back to the public school system, your $20,000 per pupil cost would actually go down because funding would not go up, the cost per pupil wold be spread out more.

That said, all districts do not spend $20,000 per pupil. We spend $12,700 per pupil, far less.

And you are incorrectly assuming the $8,000 pays the full tuition. You may want to do a bit more research on that. That is why these things and vouchers are usually a break for people who can already afford the tuition.

Comment by JS Mill Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 1:00 pm
So we create a much harder test a few years ago than any used for public schools previously. One designed to have only thirty some percent of kids make banechmark. Then of course so not have any private schools have to hit same benchmark. Point to public schools and say “look you suck” because you only can only hit and not exceed a bench mark so we must divert funds so we can segregate way from you because you only make the benchmark that we don’t have to deal with at all.

Comment by DTownResident Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 1:01 pm
=Text book and transportation subsidies are the first items that come to mind.=

You forgot a few like driver’s education and special education.

Comment by JS Mill Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 1:01 pm
End it. Generally … private schools are less ADA compliant, don’t accept students that require IEPs, and can “cherry pick” … . Want to do that, don’t use public funds.

Comment by Anyone Remember Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 1:11 pm
I can see both sides of this issue. I used to think “no state funding to private schools” but at this point I am about 51% in favor of continuing the program. The private schools reduce the load on the public schools. If private schools close, public schools will need more buildings, more teachers, more of everything including local tax dollars. Also many public schools are having trouble finding teachers as it is, let alone adding on more students. For those reasons, extend it.

Comment by DuPage Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 1:30 pm
End it. While there are always exceptions or anecdotes to the contrary - I see these being used by multiple people I know as government assisted white flight. Many of them aren’t seeking religious education as they claim - heck they don’t even go to church themselves regularly. They are seeking taxpayer assistance for private education.
The coded language of public schools having “discipline” problems or being “high poverty”…. Please. Just say what you mean.
Some certainly do want a religious education (and should have that option). Most are simply seeking whiter and more affluent environments for their kids.

Comment by DownStateMom Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 1:33 pm
==the average scholarship is about $800==

That seemed very low compared to similar programs in other states so I dug around. Empower reports the average scholarship is $6,500. https://empowerillinois.org/2023/03/07/empower-illinois-releases-year-five-impact-report/

And eligibility is 300% of FPL for a family of four … ~$85k. A $6k annual scholarship for a family even at the top end of that distribution is a big deal.

Some of the callousness on display here in the comments is very disheartening. I know this is a sensitive topic but there are so many families and kids who rely on this as a lifeline. It’s no small thing to end it.

Comment by Net net Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 1:38 pm
The biggest beneficiaries of this tax credit program are the 478 private schools that receive the scholarship funds, the scholarship granting organizations like Empower Illinois receive 5% off the top which they can use for lobbying to extend the program. Donors can be altruistic and continuing donating, and get a federal tax write-off. Diverting any public funds to private schools, especially religious schools is not good public policy.

Comment by diane Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 1:42 pm
Just to be clear on the numbers and timeline (which unfortunately weren’t very clear in the Daily Line story yesterday.) This current school year there are about 9600 voucher recipients attending 480 schools, with about $75M vouchers => $57M in tax credits.

The current sunset date is Jan 1, 2025, so credits will be given til the end of this current calendar year, and scholarships for the coming 2023-2024 school year have already been awarded.

If the sunset clause is removed or an extension is included that would impact the 2024-2025 school year. This coming school year isn’t in question that I have ever heard.

Two final points:

1) Most of the schools participating in the program have a policy of discrimination against at least one protected class, mostly students with disabilities.

2) There is no test score data even though we are five years into the program and the statute required annual reports issued by ISBE on this.

Comment by Cassie Creswell Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 1:44 pm
Extend it!
1. It is not a voucher
2. It doesn’t take away $$$ from public schools
3. It does not discriminate against kids.
4. It does not only serve white kids.
5. It does not make the rich richer.
6. It does present a challenge to the CTU status quo.

Comment by Southsider Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 1:46 pm
This program helps so many kids across the state, regardless of their income or ZIP code, access their best-fit school. School choice shouldn’t just be restricted to families who can afford tuition.

Comment by Anne Kavanaugh Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 1:47 pm
Families that have Kids with IEP’s usually choose public schools because they can afford the extra staff required.

It’s not discrimination for a private school to not accept a kid with an IEP when it is in the kids best interest to attend a public school that is far superior resources in special Ed.

Comment by Lucky Pierre Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 1:53 pm
Reading some of these comments is very disheartening and disappointing. Seems some people have not done their homework. How could anyone think 5% is a lot. Most nonprofits take 40% of a donation or more. If my kid is having trouble in public school it is great that I could use this program to get them in a school where they are not just a number and pushed through the system. This program gives me a choice to help my kids.

Comment by Disheartening Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 1:56 pm
1. It is a tax dodge.
2. It takes money away from public schools.
3. It violates the spirit of Church v State.
4. The SGOs take 5% of the money given.

Comment by Earl Strassberger Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 1:59 pm
Extend it - the scholarships help low-income kids (the program requires proof of family income based on federal poverty levels - ~70% of recipients qualify for free or reduced lunch) and diverse kids (~60% of recipients are students of color) access schools that help them succeed. Supporting our most vulnerable fellow Illinoisans have education equity should be an easy yes.

Comment by olivia benson Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 2:00 pm
I voted for extending it. We should allow low and moderate income families to have the same options and choices as wealthy families.

Comment by CityDad Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 2:02 pm
=The private schools reduce the load on the public schools. If private schools close, public schools will need more buildings, more teachers, more of everything including local tax dollars.=

Probably not. Those private school kids are not all in one place. CPS is way under capacity, they would probably be the recipient of the largest number.

Comment by JS Mill Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 2:04 pm
I strongly oppose any attempt to extend the “Invest in Kids” voucher program. Public funding for education in Illinois should be directed to our public schools, which are accountable to the communities they serve. The “Invest in Kids” voucher program is clearly part of a larger national effort by conservative organizations to undermine and dismantle public education. Therefore I want the “Invest in Kids” voucher program to end now. State funding for education should be safeguarded and should support public education only — not private or parochial schools.

Comment by Judith Muench Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 2:16 pm
So the reason this program is important is because of the kids… but… to donate directly to create similar scholarships… without *any* tax incentive is a non-starter?

Sounds like a core reason folks are donating is because of the tax break, and not the good it does?

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 2:17 pm
The recipient’s of the program aren’t the ones receiving the tax breaks. They are already below the poverty line. When you say eliminate the program, you’re taking away a tax break for people who want to help fund certain private schools. Most likely one the have a strong affiliation with, alumni, children in there now etc. But you’re also taking away an opportunity that would probably never happen for a child in extreme poverty

The scholarships are not for people that can afford a Fenwick or Mount Carmel already, for example. They are for a student who has a chance of escaping a level of poverty his parents are going through and creating a new pathway. For every success story out of CPS or any high poverty area in the state there are a thousand more that go the other way.

You think you’re penalizing the rich and private school network, you’re really just eliminating a guaranteed amount of scholarships to sought after schools by kids in poverty.

The folks taking the tax breaks will find a way to get a different tax break. At least with this there were chances for kids in poverty to get a shot at some of these schools that are entirely out of their families reach.

Comment by Frida's Boss Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 2:23 pm
Eliminate the sunset!

It does not take away from public schools! These are private donations pouring into the private school system! This is an income based program which means families can receive 50%, 75% or 100% tuition assistance. Extend this program so the working-class have an option to choose between private or public!

Comment by ChicagoMom Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 2:26 pm
===When you say eliminate the program, you’re taking away a tax break for people who want to help fund certain private schools. Most likely one the have a strong affiliation with, alumni, children in there now etc.===

How strong can that be if the tax break is the deal breaker?

You can’t use strong if the altruism is predicated on a tax break.

If it were “strong”, they’d already been giving and will still give.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 2:27 pm
==The Invest in Kids program diverts up to $75M/year in tax revenue funding vouchers.==

A rounding error in the state’s K-12 budget.

These kids have to be educated somewhere. Per the latest NCES numbers, Illinois residents spend over $17,000 per pupil on K-12. Is it cheaper to give them a scholarship and lessen the burden on the local school district? If anything, ending this program puts more pressure on local taxing bodies because the state is only sending over their share of student funding. The locals put up the rest.

Comment by City Zen Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 2:33 pm
Extend it
This program helps so many low income and working class families. Taking away these scholarships would take away students’ opportunities to attend their best-fit school.

Comment by Margaret Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 2:43 pm
Simple equation: We need more funding for public education. But if we’re being honest, if the program sunsets, we probably won’t see an additional $75 million increase to the Evidenced-Based Formula. What will we definitely see is the disruption of thousands of children’s educational and social emotional lives. So I vote extend it.

Comment by E.Q.T. Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 2:48 pm
Extend it
This discussion does not have to be an either/or. Public schools should be well funded, and the evidence based funding model that was passed with this scholarship program invests $350 million in additional funds every year. Invest in public school. Invest in tax credit scholarships to increase education equity for low income kids. Invest in education.

Comment by InvestInEd Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 3:12 pm
Extend it.

Public school funding is not being impacted by this, but students’ lives are changed for the better when they receive these scholarships. The program provides an incentive to encourage people to do the right thing—helping provide opportunity and equity to those who don’t have it. Our fate in life shouldn’t be dependent on our parents’ income.

Also, a 5% operating budget is EXTREMELY LOW compared to most non-profits, so hats off to the SGOs for being so budget-conscious.

Comment by Rachel G Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 3:30 pm
So people will stop giving if they don’t get a kickback? There is nothing preventing anyone from still donating to a scholarship program. Heck Empower Illinois could still administer it and get their cut. Why should a donation here be given special tax breaks. It should not. If someone donates to this or a public school foundation or to a private school foundation or any other school donation, the tax deduction should be the same.

Comment by DTownResident Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 3:49 pm
I’m in favor of extending the program, but that does not mean I’m against public schools. Education will always be a moot point. I do not believe it’s fair to deny parents alternatives to public schools if they qualify for financial aid. The program is still fairly new, and I want it to be extended, so we can have a chance to collect data. How can we say it doesn’t work when the opponents do not give it a chance.

Comment by Pilsen Democrat Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 3:57 pm
Too many of you do not seem to understand the basic premise of tax breaks. Those donations are deducted from the tax obligation of the donor. That means less money going into the tax coffers. The money is then paid to private schools.

=It’s not discrimination for a private school to not accept a kid with an IEP when it is in the kids best interest to attend a public school that is far superior resources in special Ed.=

well actually the kids that go to private schools can receive special ed and Title services from the public schools. They can also get driver’s ed and elective courses not offered by the private schools. When this happens in our district we require these parents to pay the normal school fees since they are then concurrently enrolled in our district. You should hear them squawk about paying fees.

LP- you would know this if you knew the first thing about how schools work.

Comment by JS Mill Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 4:08 pm
===It’s not discrimination===

It’s a choice, choosing to discriminate “because”…

It’s an odd flex to say it’s about “opportunity” just for certain folks that they want to give that opportunity?

Huh?

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 4:17 pm
Public money should be used for public schools.

Comment by Susan Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 4:19 pm
Please End this program. Any program that diverts funds from already poorly funded public schools is a significant barrier to the State of Illinois reaching goals identified in Evidence Based Funding. Additionally private schools are not required, as I understand it, to provide accountability and transparency.

Comment by Diane H Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 5:03 pm
Even if public schools were adequately funded, the issue is whether public funds should be used for private, largely religious schools with no accountability for meeting even minimal educational standards.

Comment by Esther Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 5:21 pm
I pay city taxes which supports public education while my kids attend private school for religious reasons. So the public school system is benefiting from my tax dollars when I don’t use it. So why can’t my children’s private school get public funding as well?
Why can’t my tax dollars also benefit families in need at our private school (which there are plenty)?

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 5:22 pm
End it. Public dollars should go for public schools. No more state tax breaks for wealthy donors who can get a federal charitable deduction outside the program, anyway. The state needs that annual $75 million of state tax revenue for healthcare, eliminating lead from preschools, and Evidence Based Funding for public schools.

Comment by Pro Bono Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 5:35 pm
*and state taxes

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 5:38 pm
End it. 1) Nothing is or ever was preventing people from donating to private schools for scholarships and having those donations count as charitable donations. There was no need for this special program that was basically a tax giveaway. 2) the public school system exists as a benefit to society whether you send your kids to public or private or don’t have kids at all. But that requires a well funded education system and until that happens no money should be diverted to the private schools.

Comment by MyTwoCents Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 6:20 pm
We Do Not receive vouchers. We receive Scholarships through normal citizens who wish to Donate to the program. Without this donation, my kids would not be able to attend the school of my choice. My scholarship, for both of my kids, is $8000.00. We were awarded a scholarship that covered 80% of my scholarship. Do not let them take away the privilege to send my kids to the School of my choice. Everyone has a choice to send their kids to the School of their choice.

Comment by Alejandra Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 7:26 pm
Help our family

Comment by Erika Gamino Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 7:31 pm
Thank you

Comment by Salma Ahmed Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 7:50 pm
Vote to extend on this poll.

Comment by Salma Ahmed Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 7:53 pm
Vote to extend. It’s a solid program that helps struggling families whose kids depend upon it.

Comment by Mark Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 8:46 pm
Low income families deserve the same option to select their child’s school that wealthy families enjoy.

Comment by Jerry Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 8:58 pm
This program has allowed for families to have options for their children. Please extend this program so that ALL children can attend a school that best fits their needs.

Comment by Noreen Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 10:03 pm
I voted to end it. The public schools need the funding to provide
a quality education to all of the children of Illinois and not have it
diverted to private schools that can select who they serve.

Comment by Sarah Wednesday, May 17, 23 @ 12:07 am
Please continue this program, it allow children to learn in a better environment, attend schools that have the resources to give them a great education, be in environments that helps them grow into kind, educated adults. This program helps underserved communities have access to a better future, and have students who can improve their communities.

Comment by LaToya Lee Wednesday, May 17, 23 @ 6:28 am