Lake County Gazette

The Vernon Township Republicans (VTR) are slamming state Democrats for not including the Invest In Kids tax scholarship program in the 2024 Illinois state budget.

The loss of the program will affect approximately 9,400 needy children statewide who rely on the tax-deductible donations for their education.

“The Dems cater to unions - not kids,” VTR said in a May Facebook post. “There is no good reason to sunset Invest in Kids - the most disadvantaged were getting a quality education - a direct pathway out of poverty. But unions don't like school choice.”

The program, which was established with bipartisan support under former Gov. Bruce Rauner, provided tax credits to individuals and businesses that donated to qualified Scholarship Granting Organizations, benefiting students attending private K-12 schools; a VTR release said. It was entirely left out of the recently passed $50.6 billion state budget.

VTR expressed disappointment in several local Democrats, including state Sens. Julie Morrison (Deerfield) and Adriane Johnson (Waukegan); and state Reps. Dan Didech (Buffalo Grove), Nabeela Syed (Palatine), Bob Morgan (Highwood) and Jonathan Carroll (Buffalo Grove), who remained silent on the matter despite their upcoming reelection campaigns in 2024.

Critics argued that the Chicago Teacher’s Union and other teacher unions were to blame for the program’s cut from the budget, a March Illinois Policy report said. Union-backed Illinois Families for Public Schools issued a statement opposing tax-credit scholarships in the state. Additionally, new Mayor Brandon Johnson was a lobbyist for the Chicago Teachers Union, which paid him directly prior to his election. He advocated for letting the scholarship program expire.

Program supporters noted that ending tax-credit scholarships would eliminate one of the few options available for low-income students who struggle in public schools. They also argued that the scholarships alleviate overcrowding in public schools and help save government funds since the scholarships reduce the need to educate students for whom property tax revenue is still being collected.

The Invest in Kids Tax Credit Scholarship program provides scholarships to low-income students, allowing them to attend private schools that better suit their needs. The scholarships are funded by donors who receive an income tax credit equal to 75% of their donation. Since its inception in 2018, the program has given more than 37,000 grants totaling $280 million.

Despite the program's relatively small budget allocation of $75 million, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker pulled support for Invest in Kids, citing increased public school funding.