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The Invest in Kids school scholarship program is set to expire
at the end of the year unless lawmakers extend the program
during the fall veto session.
The Chicago Teachers Union has repeatedly claimed that the
privately-funded scholarship program for low-income families
diverts funds from public schools. Nathan Cuneen from the
American Federation for Children said that's simply not true.
“I don't see how you could say that it is taking money from
anybody, especially because this is funded through a tax credit
mechanism and it doesn't touch school budgets at all,” said
Cuneen to The Center Square.
School choice opponents have pointed to attendance-based grants
from the federal government shrinking when parents choose to use
an opportunity like the Invest in Kids program to pull their
child out of a public school.
Cuneen notes that since Illinois' school choice program began,
the public school system has been funded an additional $2
billion to account for changes that will allow them to keep up
with the movement and improve their educational experience. And
even with all of the additional revenue, he says, Illinois
public schools continue to fail.
It was recently exposed that Chicago Teachers Union President
Stacy Davis Gates, who has openly fought against the state's
school choice program, sends her child to a private school.
Cuneen said Gates has even made statements about sending her
children to private schools based on the fact that public
schools are failing, and that other lawmakers, like Illinois
House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch, D-Hillside, and Senate
President Don Harman, D-Oak Park, send their kids to private
schools.
“I just think it's ridiculous and absolutely hypocritical that
they would make those choices for their families and then
actively work to deny that same opportunity to other less
fortunate kids,” said Cuneen.
If not renewed, Illinois would be the first state in the country
to entirely eliminate an existing school choice program.
Legislators return for six days of fall session beginning Oct.
24.
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