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Jason Leahy, executive director of the Illinois Principals
Association, said the tax holiday will hopefully help out
parents as they get their kids ready for another school year.
“I’ve got a family of five myself, and when we look at the start
of the school year we’ve got plenty of things we’ve got to
purchase to get ready to go, and so I would say it will
definitely be a benefit,” Leahy told The Center Square.
The tax holiday will take place Aug. 5-15.
Research shows teachers will often spend hundreds of dollars out
of their own pockets on classroom supplies to facilitate the
type of instruction they want to provide.
“It’s been a long time since I was in the classroom teaching,
but it was something that I did,” Leahy said. “Because you were
trying to protect your supply budget or just knowing there
weren’t enough dollars there to do the kinds of things you
wanted to do to get the type of learning and impact with your
kids, you would buy supplies that you need to get the job done.”
One reason why school is still expensive for families is
districts charging fees to keep up with expenses, Leahy said.
Leahy said he hopes to see expenses for parents and teachers
come down as the state implements evidence-based funding.
Tax holidays like this are not uncommon at both the federal and
state levels, Leahy said.
“We’ve got an opportunity to provide a little relief this year,
where the state’s finances are healthy or healthier than they
have been in the last decade,” he said.
Illinois, like other states, received billions in dollars from
federal taxpayers over the past two years in COVID-19 relief.
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