Supporters Pledge Fight to Save Invest In Kids in 2024
Senate Republican Leader John Curran (R-Downers Grove) speaks to the media at the Capitol last week.
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House Speaker Chris Welch held firm to his position he wouldn’t call legislation extending the Invest in Kids scholarship program without 71 Democratic votes.
The House adjourned Thursday without action on the bill, essentially killing it at the end of the year.
But supporters say they’re undeterred in trying to save the program in 2024.
“Governor Pritzker and the Democratic majorities left town without so much as a hearing to give a voice to the hundreds of Illinois students and parents who rallied at the Capitol for months begging Illinois legislators to extend the low-income scholarship program,” Senate Republican Leader John Curran (R-Downers Grove) said in a statement Thursday. “Their abandonment of these Illinois children in need in favor of ideology and special interests will continue to stain this body for many years to come. Illinois Senate Republicans will not give up and will come back ready to fight for these life-changing scholarships in the spring session.”
About 9,500 low income kids will stay in their current schools through the end of the school year, but would potentially be forced out of their private school in the fall of 2024.
“We will be relentless in our popular, bipartisan efforts to bring educational equity to every child in Illinois, especially the poor and minority children who need help the most,” said Josh Bandoch, with the conservative Illinois Policy Institute. “While it’s obviously disappointing to see teachers union bosses flex their muscles and harm working kids and families, this is one skirmish in our fight to ensure every child in Illinois has access to the excellent education that best meets his or her needs.”
Teachers unions, which continued to erroneously refer to the program as a government-funded voucher program took a victory lap at the news.
“Ending the Invest in Kids program is a significant stride in giving top priority to the needs of our public education system and guaranteeing equal opportunities for every student, particularly those from Black, Brown, special education, and LGBTQ+ communities,” Illinois Federation of Teachers President Dan Montgomery said in a statement. “Today, Illinois lawmakers chose to put our public schools first and end the state program that subsidized private, mostly religious schools, many of which have discriminatory policies.”
House Speaker Chris Welch did not take questions from reporters during the fall veto session.
