Strong public schools that welcome and nurture every child and young person benefit all of us. But, the Trump administration is engaged in an effort to undermine and ultimately dismantle our public school system—in line with their larger agenda of undermining the public good and the foundations of a democratic society.
The attacks on public schools include attempts to shut down the US Department of Education and withholding and cutting federal education funding. One tool: expanding school voucher programs across the country.
Congress approved Trump’s plan to create a new, unprecedented national voucher program in July 2025. You can read our Q&A about it 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 in conjunction with any laws passed by their legislature regulating that participation. In January more than 45 organizations wrote to Gov. Pritzker urging him to opt out of the program. You can read that letter here.
Take Action
- Write to Governor Pritzker and your state senator and state representative urging them to say NO to the federal voucher program for Illinois. Use our letter-writing tool to send those emails.
- 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." |
- Call your state senator and state rep to pass legislation to keep federal vouchers out of Illinois. There are two bills currently in the Illinois Senate with Democratic sponsors, one would opt Illinois into the program, the other would prohibit Illinois from participating. More on those bills here. Here is a fact sheet to share with your legislators: No federal vouchers for Illinois!
Join Our Coalition
The following organizations say NO to federal vouchers for Illinois:
AAUW - Illinois ● Access Living ● Brighton Park Neighborhood Council ● Center For Tax And Budget Accountability ● Chicago Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights ● Chicago National Organization for Women ● Chicago Teachers Union ● Citizen Action/Illinois ● COFI ● Cook County College Teachers Union ● 44th Ward Action ● Illinois Families for Public Schools ● Illinois Federation of Teachers ● Illinois National Organization for Women ● Indivisible Chicago Alliance ● Indivisible Chicago Northwest ● Indivisible Lincoln Square ● Indivisible Greater West Loop ● Institute for the Public Good ● League of Women Voters of Illinois ● Learning Disability Association of Illinois ● National Association of Social Workers - Illinois Chapter ● National Council of Jewish Women - Chicago North Shore ● National Council of Jewish Women - South Cook Section ● Network 49 ● Palatine Supports Public School ● PEER Illinois ● The People’s 32nd ● POWER-PAC IL ● Sunrise Movement Chicago ● 39th Ward Neighbors United ● Trans Up Front Illinois ● West Suburban Teachers Union, Local 571
Please reach out if your community organization, independent political organization or union would like to endorse this campaign to keep federal vouchers out of Illinois: [email protected]