Prairie State Wire

The Cato Institute Center for Educational Freedom Director Neal McCluskey recently took to social media to speak out about the state of Illinois needing to prioritize school choice expansion. 

“Rauner is right on choice,” McCluskey said on Twitter referring to former Republican Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner. “Illinois should greatly expand it, not kill it.”

According to Chicago Chalkbeat, the Illinois school choice program called the Invest in Kids Act will expire on Dec. 31 if lawmakers do not vote on an extension.

According to Wirepoints, the Invest in Kids Act benefits 9,000 children in Illinois by offering tax-credit scholarships that allow them to attend schools of their families' choice, including private schools. The program has been active since 2017 and is funded by private donations. However, the program has been excluded from the state budget, allowing the program to expire by the end of this year, Wirepoints reports.

“At the behest of teachers unions, Illinois Democrats are about to defund the "Invest In Kids" school choice program that gives scholarships to over 7,000 working class students, with over 22,000 on the waiting list," said Greg Price, director of communications at State Freedom Caucus Network, in a Tweet. "Watch @ILFreedomCaucus member @BlaineWilhour rip into the Democrats for denying children educational opportunities they otherwise would not have."

An article published in April by the Illinois Policy Institute analyzed poll results from Echelon Insights, which showed that 62% of Illinois voters supported school choice. The poll surveyed 800 diverse voters from March 27 to 29. The support for school choice was strong among parents, with 70% in favor. The study also found that 59% were in favor of the Invest in Kids Tax Credit Scholarship Program, whether they were parents or non-parents.

“Illinois is the first state to take away school choice," said Twitter user Hutchinson4IL in a Tweet. "IL is now forcing parents to send their kids to failing schools unless they earn enough to pay for private school. Income should not be a barrier to receiving a good education."