Supporters of a new federal tax credit program called on Gov. JB Pritzker Thursday to allow Illinois families to access the money it generates to cover expenses at public and private elementary and high schools.
Pritzker has said he will make a decision about Illinois’ participation after the federal government announces rules for it, which is expected to happen some time this summer. Thirty governors have already opted in, according to a tracker maintained by Education Week.
Speaking at an event at a West Side private school, the advocates are pushing back on opponents who say the scholarships offered through the program amount to private school vouchers that could siphon resources and students from public schools.
Illinois Families for Public Schools, a group that has advocated against the federal program, said the money could be used for tuition at private schools with unproven results. They also point out that a similar, now-defunct state tax credit program gave scholarships to Illinois students who attended private schools that discriminated against LGBTQ students and students with disabilities.
But speakers at Thursday’s event focused more on how this program could help public school families pay for things like after-school programs, tutoring or school uniforms.
They also emphasized that taxpayers in every state, including Illinois, will be able to get a tax credit of up to $1,700 if they donate to a scholarship-granting organization. But if Pritzker decides Illinois won’t participate, families in the state won’t have access to the new money.
“At a time when Chicago Public Schools and many other school systems across the state are confronting shrinking student populations and increasing costs, the state of Illinois cannot afford to turn down free money,” said Bobby Sylvester, vice president of The Urban Center, a Chicago-based organization which advocates for what it calls a “common sense agenda.”
The press conference was organized by Invest in Education, a national organization formed to support the tax-credit scholarship program, and the Urban Center, which is run by Juan Rangel, the former leader of an organization that distributed private school scholarships through the Illinois tax credit program, which sunsetted in 2023.
Angel Gutierrez, a member of the Chicago Board of Education who represents the Southwest Side of the city, said Illinois should participate and create a program that benefits all students in the state.
Angel Gutierrez, who represents a Chicago school board district on the city’s Southwest Side, is one of the few CPS board members who want Illinois to opt in to a new federal program that could offer families money to pay for private school tuition and public school expenses.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
“This is not about replacing public education,” he said. “It is about adding tools, partnerships and financial resources so more children can succeed.”
Gutierrez’s position is contrary to other Chicago school board members. The board approved a resolution in early April calling on Pritzker to opt out. Fifteen of 20 voting members supported the measure while three abstained from the vote. Two members were not in attendance, including Gutierrez.
Though speakers downplayed how this program could benefit private schools, the event was held at Altus Academy, a small faith-based private school in Chicago’s East Garfield Park neighborhood.
Altus’ principal, Alfredo Villegas, said that many of the school’s students got scholarships under Illinois’ expired tax credit program. The school does not charge tuition and depends on donations to operate. He said it would be wonderful for his students and the school to have access to the federal program.
“Our mission is to provide an alternative for families that are frustrated with their neighborhood schools or are not getting the education for their students for whatever reason,” he said. “So these are families with limited resources, and we’re just trying to remove those barriers for these families to get a good quality education.”