Good news from the Chicago Board of Education, which voted unanimously yesterday to pass a resolution opposing Illinois participating in the federal school voucher program. You can read the resolution here. Our ED Cassie Creswell spoke during public comment; her remarks are below.

There was a debate among members about the resolution, which you can watch here.

The topic of debate was primarily about whether it was proper for the Board to take this up as an issue and vote on it at all. Member Ellen Rosenfeld (4a) motioned to postpone the resolution indefinitely. 

Ultimately, that motion to postpone failed 7-11, and the vote on the resolution itself passed 15-0, with three abstentions by the members who did not want this resolution voted on at all, Rosenfeld and also Members Che Smith (10a) and Therese Boyle (9b). (Member Angel Gutierrez (8a) wasn’t present, one position is vacant (10b), and  the Board President only votes to break ties.)

We are very pleased to see that no board members were willing to vote NO on this resolution. Two Board Members that have declared their candidacy for Board President (Members Jessica Biggs (6b) and Jenni Custer(1b)), and several who would rather have not had to take a vote, still voted YES when vouchers were on the table. 

The federal voucher program is not something anyone wanted to go on record supporting yesterday. We hope that Governor Pritzker and the General Assembly take note.

We also must say that it is not only proper for school board members to weigh in on state and federal legislative and policy issues like this one, it is urgent. 

When public education is under threat of being swept away entirely at the national level, it is the duty of elected school boards to take a stance and speak out. 

School board members in Illinois take an oath upon assuming their seats, and affirm their role as advocates in that oath. The Illinois Association of School Board states: 

“As key stakeholders in the public education system, school board members serve as an essential local resource on educational issues. Involvement by school board members in both the state and federal legislative process is imperative to shaping sound education policy by clarifying the diverse needs and challenges of public education for lawmakers.” 

Open debate and a vote on where the Board stands on issues like the federal voucher program, ideally followed up by vigorous advocacy by the Board—is exactly why Chicagoans fought for years for a democratically elected representative school board. The school board should ensure the district is lobbying in Springfield for the best interests of their students and the Board’s constituents. This is not in conflict with their other duties, especially when it comes to funding and resources for our schools, it is a prerequisite for them to be able to fulfill their other duties, fiduciary and educational.

Follow this vote up with a note to your Board member, thanking them or otherwise for the vote they took. Look up your board member here, and find their emails here.

Hi, I’m Cassie Creswell, a CPS parent and executive director of IL Families for Public Schools. I’m here to urge a yes vote on Resolution 26-408-RS1. Opting into the Trump Administration’s new federal voucher program would harm Illinois’ public schools, including CPS.

The first choice of Illinois families with children is a well-resourced public school located where they live. Public schools must educate all our kids—students with disabilities, English-language learners, undocumented students, and LGBTQ+ students. 

Private schools do not serve all kids. They discriminate and exclude. And all voucher programs divert tax dollars to private schools, which aren’t subject to the same oversight as public schools. 

If students leave public schools to use vouchers, districts’ lose funding directly due to the loss of per-pupil funding, and also indirectly when they can’t rapidly reduce fixed costs, like building maintenance or staffing.

In theory, the federal voucher program might cover some individual public school students’ expenses.

We’ve seen public school voucher programs like this elsewhere, and like all vouchers, they hurt education equity. A study of one in Arizona showed that the wealthiest quarter of public schools “received more than five times as much money as the poorest quarter.” 

More importantly, under the Illinois Constitution’s Article X, “[e]ducation in public schools through the secondary level shall be free.“ And under federal law, students with disabilities have the right to a free, appropriate public education. 

The costs of public school in Illinois—including things like tutoring and afterschool programs—should be paid for through tax dollars directly appropriated to school districts through the legislative process and elected school boards. 

School funding shouldn’t depend on tax credit gimmicks subject to the whims of individual wealthy taxpayers and unaccountable third-party non-profits. 

Vouchers will never be a path to achieving full, fair funding for public schools. Board members in an underfunded public school district should be the strongest advocates for keeping school vouchers from returning to Illinois. Please hold a vote on this resolution today and please vote yes. Thank you.