Corey DeAngelis, a research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, said State Sen. Graciela Guzman (D-Chicago) introduced a bill barring Illinois from the federal school choice tax credit program shortly after receiving a $72,500 campaign contribution from the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU).
The issue comes as public debate continues over school choice policies in Illinois. Supporters say such programs give families more educational options, while opponents argue they divert resources from public schools. The timing of Guzman’s bill and recent union donations has drawn attention to the influence of political contributions on education policy decisions.
“Illinois Democrat Senator Graciela Guzman filed a bill prohibiting the state from opting in to Trump’s new school choice program… She just received $72,500 from the Chicago Teachers Union… She has received over $519,000 from teachers unions since October 2023,” DeAngelis said. According to DeAngelis’s post on X, Guzman filed Senate Bill 3966 to prohibit Illinois from participating in the federal scholarship tax credit program, linking the bill filing to the recent CTU donation. Illinois Sunshine records confirm that Guzman received $72,500 from the CTU PAC in early February.
Polling indicates strong public support for school choice in Illinois. A survey found that 62 percent of voters favor policies allowing funding to follow students to schools of their choice, consistent with national trends showing 64 percent support for states opting into the federal program. The Illinois Policy Institute reports that this support persists despite opposition from teachers unions according to polling by the Illinois Policy Institute.
According to <a href="https://www.illinoispolicy.org/illinois-lowers-standards-making-more-students-seem-proficient”>Illinois Policy, Illinois public schools face ongoing performance challenges. Under adjusted 2025 standards, just 38 percent of students are proficient in math and 52 percent in English language arts. The Illinois State Board of Education lowered cut scores to raise reported proficiency rates by 10 to 12 percentage points, according to the Illinois Policy Institute, masking broader concerns about education quality.
Teachers unions in the United States devote substantial resources to political activities. According to <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus?ind=L1300″>OpenSecrets, the National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers contributed more than $43 million to left-leaning groups and PACs from 2022 to 2024, with most donations directed to Democratic candidates and causes.
