By Andrew Hensel | The Center Square
Cartoon by Eric Allie
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he will support extending the Invest in Kids school choice scholarship program that expires at the end of the year, but it’s up to the legislature to send him something to sign.
A recent poll regarding the state’s Invest in Kids Act shows that more than half of Illinois residents favor its extension. The program allows donors to get a 75% Illinois income tax credit toward donations to fund school choice scholarships for qualified families throughout the state.
The poll by Impact Research shows that 56% of voters still support the program and that 58 of the 80 parents who participated in the poll favored its extension.
Sabrina Sibby of Southside Chicago has four boys involved in the program. Last month, she told The Center Square that she may have to quit her job to homeschool her children to avoid placing them back into Chicago Public Schools if the program is cut.
“I probably would opt into homeschooling,” Sibby said. “That would be difficult for me because then I would have to quit my job and work on making sure he gets the things he needs to get. I’m still sure it would be a financial burden on me because I would have to purchase certain things.”
The program makes it possible for lower-income residents who otherwise couldn’t afford private school tuition to send their children to schools of their choosing.
Illinois Education Association President Al Llorens opposes extension of the program.
Read more here.
Related: “What is the Invest in Kids Scholarship Program, and why it matters,” “The Children Are our Future? Prove It!”