The Chicago Teachers Union and other teachers’ unions oppose Invest in Kids, a tax-credit scholarship program that allows underprivileged children to attend private schools of their choice. Why would teachers advocate against a program that helps low-income students? Mailee Smith, staff attorney and director of labor policy at Illinois Policy Institute, refutes opponents’ false claims about the program and explains why the Illinois General Assembly should reinstitute Invest in Kids during its next session.
This week’s Policy Shop is by Mailee Smith, staff attorney and director of labor policy at the Illinois Policy Institute.
Happy New Year, friends!
We hope your holidays were festive and fun, and that your kids are happily back in class to start the new year.
To kick us off, this edition of The Policy Shop will tackle the big debate on school choice, which is heating up as lawmakers head back to Springfield.
That’s because Illinois’ life-changing Invest in Kids program is set to expire … unless lawmakers take action to keep it and the scholarships it funds for low-income kids alive. Unsurprisingly, teachers’ union bosses are trying to kill the program. But competition is a good thing, and even if a child opts to use an Invest in Kids scholarship at a private school, their local public school doesn’t take a funding hit. Win-win, right?
Let’s dive in.
Illinois is Investing in Kids … for now: Set to sunset at the end of 2023, Invest in Kids relies on donors for scholarships...
CLAIM: Video claiming President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had resigned. RATING: FALSE A YouTube video falsely claimed that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had stepped down from office amid continue...