The General Assembly Should Do the Right Thing and Extend Invest in Kids
Students arrive at Locke Elementary in Chicago's Montclare neighborhood on Aug. 22, 2022. (Photo: Chicago Tribune)
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OPINION
There’s a proxy war in Springfield right now.
It involves the Invest in Kids scholarship program, set to expire at the end of the year without legislative action. Teachers unions are flexing their political muscle with Democratic lawmakers in an attempt to kill the controversial plan. Meanwhile, conservatives and the business community like the tax break that comes along with the program and want to help their bottom line.
What’s being forgotten in the debate? It’s helping kids.
The program allows 9,500 low income kids, mostly Black and Latino kids from Cook County, an opportunity. It’s an opportunity to get out of a failing school. It’s an opportunity to go to college. Sometimes, it’s an opportunity at making a life.
Opponents of the program, either teachers unions or those espousing their talking points, say Invest in Kids is taking money away from public education.
To that, I say phooey.
Invest in Kids isn’t a government-paid voucher program. The government does not cut checks to private schools. Donors to a non-profit get a tax break and the donations are given out as scholarships.
Let’s dig into the numbers a little bit.
When you count the tax breaks donors receive, it costs about $75 million from the state till. That’s a lot to you and me and to anyone not named JB Pritzker.
But the state budget is $50 billion.
The state is scheduled to spend some $3.7 billion on K-12 education this fiscal year. That has increased over a billion dollars since 2017. $75 million is a drop in the bucket.
Public schools aren’t failing because of Invest in Kids. Public schools aren’t failing because they don’t get enough money. But too many are failing and why shouldn’t we help some kids get ahead?
Democrats love to talk about laws to “save just one life” or prevent “just one death.” Maybe they should talk about how we can help “just one kid” make something of themself.
Unfortunately, Republicans haven’t made this easy on themselves.
Rep. Angelica Guerrero-Cuellar (D-Chicago) has introduced a compromise to the program that reduces the taxable benefit for donors and the overall size of the program. Not great, but ok.
In their infinite wisdom, the far right wingnuts in the House Freedom Caucus issued a news release this week claiming they would vote against anything that reduced the size and scope of the program. Because, apparently, they can’t recognize compromise if it slaps them in the face.
But those seven votes of right wing Republicans could have just cost the program in its entirety.
If House Speaker Chris Welch was looking for cover, he’d put just enough Democrat votes on the Guerrero-Cuellar bill (oh yes, they can do that) to need all 40 Republicans to pass the extension.
Without those seven, the extension fails and Democrats get to blame Republicans.
Good job, good effort, guys.
It’s a potentially reckless, obnoxious game of political chicken.
Unfortunately, Governor Pritzker has taken a back seat in the entire process, washing his hands of the issue and punting to the legislature. He’s even had to deal with attacks from teachers unions comparing him to Republican governors Greg Abbott of Texas and Ron DeSantis of Florida for saying he’ll sign with the General Assembly passes.
Now would be a good time for Governor Pritzker to show leadership. Tell the General Assembly what you want and twist some elbows. This is too important to be on the sidelines for.
Make the politics stop, Governor. Get it done.
Help these kids.
