Politicians Align With Teachers Union, Reject School Choice Program That Would Help Minority Kids

A voucher program known as “Invest in Kids,” which provides over 9,600 low-income kids with scholarships, was voted down by lawmakers in the Illinois state legislature on Thursday.

The “Invest in Kids” act offers a tax credit to businesses and individuals that contribute to a scholarship fund that allows low-income kids to go to certain non-public schools in the state. The program has awarded $75 million in tax credits in the 2022-2023 school year and helped 9,656 students. As the program was voted down, 24,000 students were in line to receive the scholarship. About 72% of scholarship recipients are non-white.

The act was set to expire by the end of the year, and Democrats in the legislature killed an effort to renew the program. Republicans tried and failed to bring the matter to a vote.