Prairie State Wire

State Rep. Chris Miller (R-Oakland) has introduced House Bill 1135, known as the Education Savings Account Act. The bill has an advocate in Corey DeAngelis. 

DeAngelis is a national expert on school choice.

“BREAKING: Illinois Representative Chris Miller introduced a bill to fund students instead of systems,” DeAngelis posted on Twitter.

“Creates the Education Savings Account Act. Requires the State Board of Education to create the Education Savings Account Program,” the bill’s synopsis reads.

“Provides that a parent of an eligible student (defined as any elementary or secondary student who was eligible to attend a public school in this State in the preceding semester or is starting school in this State for the first time and who is a member of a household whose total annual income does not exceed an amount equal to 2.5 times the income standard used to qualify for a free or reduced-price lunch under the national free or reduced-price lunch program) shall qualify for the State Board to make a grant to his or her child's Education Savings Account by signing an agreement.” 

“Requires the State Board to deposit into an Education Savings Account some or all of the State aid under the State aid formula provisions of the School Code that would otherwise have been provided to the resident school district for the eligible student had the student enrolled in the resident school district.” 

“Provides that parents participating in the Program shall agree to use the funds deposited in their eligible students' accounts for certain qualifying expenses to educate the eligible student. Sets forth provisions concerning the calculation of grant amounts and other basic elements of the Program, administration of the Program, accountability standards for participating schools, and the responsibilities of the State Board and resident school districts.”

DeAngelis discussed school choice on an episode of the Adam Corolla Show last year. 

“We don't residentially assign low-income families to government-run grocery stores and tell them that they must use their food stamps at a particular institution you can choose Wal-Mart Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s…and I can keep going on and on with examples but we do this in so many other areas. Why don't we do it with K-12 education too?” he asked.  

Former Gov. Bruce Rauner, a Republican, signed into law the state’s first tax-rebate program that allowed education choice for students meeting minimum income requirements, such as is included in Miller’s bill. 

The program provided $75 million for low-income students. 

“The tax credit scholarship program established by SB 1947 would empower thousands of low-income students to escape failing public schools," Illinois Policy said at the time. "Under the plan, the scholarships would be funded with dollars put into a scholarship-granting organization by individuals and businesses with an Illinois tax liability. For every dollar donors give, they receive a 75-cent tax credit."

Since that time, public school and student performance has steeply declined.