Strong public schools that welcome and nurture every child and young person benefit all of us. And—because of that—public schools are one of the foundational institutions in our country that Trump and his anti-democratic lackeys are trying to destroy.
One method of destruction that Congress voted last month to roll out is a nationwide school voucher program.
A voucher program that diverts billions of public dollars to private schools that bar their doors to anyone they don’t want is the antithesis of a public good.
Although the Illinois General Assembly sent our failed state voucher program into the sunset back in fall of 2023, the massive budget bill Congress passed and Trump signed in July will create a new federal voucher program, one that states can opt in or opt out of.
So, now, Illinois is faced with the decision of reinstating a voucher system by opting into the new federal program.
| Read more: IL-FPS’s Cassie Creswell gave a short presentation on the federal voucher program earlier this month, and you can find her slides here for more background. |
The details on the federal voucher program have not yet been hammered out. But, since we’ve seen vouchers before here in Illinois, we already know the harm they’ll do, hurting equity and funding discrimination.
So, it’s time to alert our Governor and state legislators and call on them to refuse this toxic school privatization scheme for our state.
The Network for Public Education Action created a letter you can use to tell your state rep, state senator and Governor Pritzker to reject federal school vouchers:
Other states are already weighing in on whether they’ll participate in the voucher program. Both Oregon and New Mexico’s governors announced that they’ll will NOT be opting in. We need to get the conversation started here in Illinois about protecting our public schools.
As the federal government descends ever further into authoritarianism, the role of our state and local leaders in defending the public good is ever more crucial, and we, as Illinoisans, need to continuously remind them of that.
The coalition Governor Pritzker assembled yesterday to vigorously pushback against the threat of an illegal military occupation of Chicago is the type of leadership and unity we need to see on every front right now.
With attacks on the public good happening everywhere all at once, it is important for public school supporters to stay in the struggle. Public schools are inclusive. They are where families across our communities come together—90% of Illinois kids go to public school—and where the civil rights of students and families especially targeted by the Trump regime are protected.
Public schools matter, and they need our defense so that we can further strengthen and improve them.
Please use this letter as one tool in the toolbox to advocate for our public schools! If you’d like to follow your letter up with a call, find office phone numbers here for your electeds.