Strong public schools that welcome and nurture every child and young person benefit all of us. But, the Trump administration is engaged in a massive campaign to destroy our public school system—in line with their larger agenda of undermining the public good and the foundations of a democratic society.
There are multiple components to this campaign: dismantling the US Department of Education piece by piece in a series of mostly illegal moves, including firing staff, canceling grants and splitting up functions of the Department and assigning them to other federal agencies. It also includes the proposed massive cuts to federal K-12 funding, including the Title I dollars that support schools serving many children from low-income households.
Another key tactic in the attack on our public schools system: Expanding vouchers across the country. Congress approved Trump’s plan to create an unprecedented national voucher program back in July.
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Read our Q&A here: “What to know about the new federal school voucher program” |
As it stands, every state has the option of saying NO to this program. Governors can refuse to have their state participate.
The governors of Oregon, New Mexico and Wisconsin have already said their states are opting out, and we need Governor Pritzker to make the same commitment.
Call Governor Pritzker's Springfield or Chicago offices. Here's a quick script you can use or adapt:
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"I'm a constituent and a supporter of public schools, and I'm asking Governor Pritzker to make a public commitment that Illinois will NOT participate in the federal voucher program. Vouchers divert public dollars to private schools. We've seen vouchers before in Illinois, and they fund discrimination and hurt education equity. Illinois should fully fund its public schools, and not sign up for some financial gimmickry from the Trump administration that's just a facade to cover up using vouchers to dismantle public schools." |
You can also leave a written comment for the Governor here.
