IFT VOTES! YOUR VOTE MATTERS. CONSIDER VOTING FOR IFT'S ENDORSED CANDIDATES ON MARCH 17.
Illinois Federation of Teachers
A Union of Professionals
No voucher schemes:
not in Illinois
The Field School, Chicago IL
IL Invest in Kids voucher school FAQ
on march 17, about 10% of Illinois voters will have a non-binding question on their primary ballot about whether illinois should opt into the federal voucher program.
The question is misleadingly worded and implies that the program will not redirect public dollars to fund private schools and does not include the word voucher. But it’s really a ploy to opt into a federal voucher program included in Trump's Big Ugly bill. That’s why the proponents don’t use the word “voucher” at all in the language. They’re being sneaky because vouchers are wildly unpopular with voters.
FAQ
Q: What is the federal school voucher program?
A: In July 2025, Congress passed legislation inside the “One Big Beautiful Bill” to create a federal voucher program in the form of tax credit scholarship program. Each state can choose to opt in or opt out of the voucher program that will will start in 2027.
Q: What are school vouchers?
A: Vouchers are education tax dollars that are diverted from public schools and given to private schools and religious schools.
Q: Does IL have a school voucher program?
A: No. From 2018-2024, however, Illinois did have a statewide voucher program in the form of a tax credit scholarship program, known as “Invest in Kids.” Over the six years of the program, $315 million was diverted from IL’s General Revenue Fund. There was insufficient support in the Illinois General Assembly to extend the program, so it sunset after six years. Why didn’t the IL General Assembly vote to continue the voucher program? Two major reasons were concerns about lack of racial equity in distributing vouchers and voucher schools’ policies discriminating against students with disabilities, LGBTQ+ students and students in many other protected categories. Legislators were also concerned about using public dollars for private schools given Illinois’ budget difficulties and the lack of oversight and transparency in the voucher program.
Q: How do vouchers impact public school funding?
A: Every tax dollar diverted to private and religious schools is a dollar that can’t be used to increase public school funding. Illinois’ public schools are currently underfunded by more than $3 billion. The majority of schools in our state are still not adequately funded under the state’s own
funding formula. The federal government is likely to further cut funds for K-12 education in the coming year. The US House recently voted to cut Title I funds for schools serving low-income students by more than 25%.
Q: Do voucher programs improve academic achievement?
A: No. Study after study has shown that voucher programs do not improve academic outcomes and, in many cases result in lower achievement.
Q: Do voucher programs improve opportunities for struggling students?
A: No. Private schools select who they want to educate by limiting services for students with learning disabilities, enforcing strict policies, and “counseling out” or expelling students that present the most difficulties.
Q: Do voucher programs provide equity?
A: No. The 900,000 low-income students in Ilinois public schools will not be helped by diverting funds to a privatized system that could be used instead to provide funding needed for smaller class sizes, enriched curriculum, better professional development and wraparound services.
Q: Shouldn't parents have a choice about their child's education?
A: Of course. Parents should have the right to choose the school they feel will best serve their child. However, this doesn’t mean that taxpayers should be responsible for paying for their private school tuition.
Q: Who supports voucher programs?
A: Groups who want to discredit and dismantle public education, like the think tank Illinois Policy Institute, the Archdiocese of Chicago and other religious groups who want funding for their schools. Other student growth organizations such as Empower IL who receive 5% of the voucher dollars they administer, and new parent groups like Awake IL are in favor of these programs.
Q: Will Illinois decide to participate in the federal voucher program?
A: We don’t know. It is important to contact the governor and your state legislators about this issue now to ask them NOT to allow Illinois to participate.
Westlake Christian Academy, Grayslake, IL
Invest in Kids voucher school
Parent Student Handbook
See what has happened in other states that have passed similar legislation:
Arizona
Arizona’s public school system is the worst funded in the nation
Indiana
How voucher dollars kept coming as a private school collapsed
Louisiana
Lousiana school voucher program earns a D for 2016
Oklahoma
Scholarship schools exclude disabled students from discrimination Protections
Iowa
ADDitional resources
Education Funding
Center for Tax and Budget Accountability
Invest in Kids Annual Report 2022
IL Department of Revenue
The Highly Negative Impacts of Vouchers
Center for American Progress
The Public School Advantage
Lubienski and Theule Lubienski
Resolution on School Vouchers and Tax Credits Scholarship Programs NAACP
Review of A Win-Win Solution and the Participant Effects of Private School Vouchers Across the Globe
National Education Policy Center
School Vouchers: The Wrong Choice for Public Education
The Anti-Defamation League
How To Take In $33 Million In Taxpayer Dollars: Partner With The Catholic Church WBEZ
The following organization support
public funds for public schools
Access Living ● ACLU of Illinois ● Action Ridge ● Activate Chicago Parents ● AFT Local 604 ● American Association of University Women Illinois ● American Association of University Women Naperville Area ● Americans United for the Separation of Church and State ● Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago ● BG Pride ● Brighton Park Neighborhood Council ● Center for Tax and Budget Accountability ● Chicago Coalition for the Homeless ● Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights ● Chicago Teachers Union ● COFI ● ED-RED ● Equality Illinois ● Families 4 Students and Teachers ● 50th Ward Working Families ● 48th Ward Neighbors for Justice ● Healing to Action ● Illinois Education Association ● Illinois Families for Public Schools ● Illinois Federation of Teachers ● Illinois High School District Organization ● Illinois National Organization for Women ● Illinois Parent Teacher Association ● Indivisible Chicago ● Indivisible Evanston ● Indivisible Lincoln Square ● JCUA ● Journey for Justice Alliance ● League of Women Voters of Illinois ● Learning Disabilities Association of Illinois ● Legal Council for Health Justice ● LEND ● Library Defense ● National Association of Social Workers - IL Chapter ● Network for Public Education ● Network 49 ● Northside Action for Justice ● ONE Northside ● PFLAG Council of Northern Illinois ● Pilsen Alliance ● POWER-PAC IL ● Public Funds Public Schools ● Raise Your Hand for Illinois Public Education ● SCOPE ● Teach Plus ● 39th Ward Neighbors United ● 33rd Ward Working Families ● Unitarian Universalist Advocacy Network of Illinois ● United Northwest Side