Illinois could soon opt into the first federal school voucher program — an initiative long-championed by private school advocates and religious conservatives — but Gov. JB Pritzker has yet to weigh in.
Under the program, part of the Republican One Big Beautiful Bill Act, donors can get a dollar-for-dollar tax credit of up to $1,700 for giving to scholarship-granting nonprofits. Those scholarships can go to private school tuition, transportation and other education-related expenses.
Supporters say the program will expand parental choice, and allow low-income students to receive a better or specialized education outside of their neighborhood school.
But critics argue that the program pulls money away from public schools, and undermines the tradition of American public education. Dozens of public school advocates gathered outside of the governor’s office in the West Loop Tuesday morning, demanding that Pritzker choose not to participate.
“We believe that as a public good, public dollars should fund public schools,” said Huu Nguyen, a board member at Illinois Families for Public Schools. “School voucher programs that take tax dollars to fund private education are the antithesis of public policy that supports the common good.”
The group intended to deliver a letter to Pritzker signed by 46 advocacy, civil rights and labor organizations, including the Illinois Federation of Teachers and the League of Women Voters of Illinois. But they were stopped at the building’s entrance by a security guard, who instructed them to mail the letter instead.
A spokesperson for Pritzker wrote in a statement that the governor’s office is still reviewing the tax credit.
“We will evaluate the issue through a lens focused on affordability for working families and what best supports Illinois students, families, and public schools,” according to the statement.
In a July email, however, Pritzker’s office criticized the program, noting that it could “potentially (reduce) state and federal funding for public schools.”
“It’s millions of kids that suffer in the state of Illinois that suffer due to lack of resources in public schools,” said Antwain Miller, a community organizer with the nonprofit Lugenia Burns Hope Center. “How can we make sense of public school dollars to privatized schools?”
Less than half of Illinois’ 850-plus public school districts are considered adequately funded by the state.
Under the state’s Evidence-Based Funding formula, which aims to deliver equitable funding for schools in low-income communities, Chicago Public Schools is only funded at 73% adequacy. District officials estimate that CPS needs an additional $985 million to meet the state’s adequacy target of 90% next fiscal year.
In states participating in the federal voucher program, taxpayers can claim credits beginning in 2027. Scholarship eligibility is limited to students whose family income does not exceed 300% of their area’s median income. It’s a relatively high threshold: In Cook County, the cap would be $359,000 for a four-person household, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Conservatives have long fought for a federal school voucher-style program. Until now, all major school choice programs have emerged only at the state level. Earlier drafts of the One Big Beautiful Bill included larger tax credits and mandated state participation, rather than allow governors to opt in.
The American Federation for Children, a prominent national advocacy group for private-school choice, called the tax credit “a new opportunity for governors to embrace educational freedom for families and students” in a statement earlier this month.
“This is a no-brainer for governors, and states, to create incredible new opportunities that can benefit the next generation of American leaders,” wrote CEO Tommy Schultz. “States that fail to opt in risk forfeiting millions in charitable support for their own students.”
Andrew Broy, the president of the Illinois Network of Charter Schools, said that the nonprofit supports the program, though it remains unclear whether charter school students would be eligible for scholarships. He pushed back on the idea that the initiative diverts local education dollars.
“It’s a federal tax credit, so it doesn’t take any state or local resources,” Broy said.
Previously, Illinois had its own similar tax credit initiative, Invest In Kids, from 2018 to 2023. The program offered a 75% income tax credit to people who contributed to scholarships for low-income students to attend private schools. But state lawmakers ultimately chose not to renew it, facing intense opposition from public school advocates and teachers unions.
About a third of Illinois counties will see the school voucher program on the primary ballot March 17. But it is ultimately Pritzker who will decide whether Illinois adopts the program.
The debate comes as fewer families opt to send their children to CPS. A recent report found that the district’s share of the city’s school-aged children fell from 75% to 71% from 2018 to 2023, while private school enrollment remained steady.
Declining birth rates have also jolted Illinois public schools. CPS, for example, has lost 28% of its enrollment since 2002 — about 122,000 students. That’s significant because enrollment determines how much federal and state funding a district receives.
“For rural districts, even a small loss of students to private schools have devastating fiscal consequences for school district budgets,” said Becky Simon, president of the League of Women Voters of Illinois. “We urge school district leaders to speak up, and we urge Gov. Pritzker to fully fund public education.”
To be sure, many private schools have been subject to the same demographic pressures.
The Archdiocese of Chicago announced the closure of five Catholic schools this week, citing dwindling enrollment and financial strain. St. Stanislaus Kostka Academy, a Catholic elementary school in the West Town neighborhood, also announced its closure earlier this month.
Tribune reporter Olivia Olander contributed.