Update: The Chicago Board of Ed did not hold a vote on the anti-federal voucher resolution on Mon. March 30th, and it is now on the agenda (26-0408-RS1 p. 16) for the Wed. April 8th meeting. You can register for the lottery to speak at the meeting here. And you can submit a written remark here. Suggested comment language and details on contacting your Board of Ed member below.

No matter their zip code, their religion, or their race, what most Illinois families want is a well-resourced public school right where they live and play, a school where every child is welcome and has the freedom to learn and grow. As an advocacy organization, we support bills that get us closer to that vision, and oppose bills that push that vision even further out of reach. 

Thousands of bills are introduced in Springfield every session. Here's some of the bills that we are supporting or following closely during the spring 2026 session of the 104th IL General Assembly. 

Key bill we are supporting

Prohibit federal vouchers - SB 3966 [Fact Sheet] This bill will prohibit Illinois' from participating in the harmful new federal school voucher program created by Congress and set to begin on January 1, 2027. 

Other bills we support

Bills we're monitoring

School Cell Phone Ban - SB 2427/HB 3488 These bills would require school districts to create a policy banning non-school-issued cell phones and other wireless devices during the school day. IL-FPS is concerned about the impact of cell phone use on children and young people. However, we are also concerned about negative implications of punitive policies on students' educational access, especially students with disabilities, LGBTQ+ students and students of color. Moreover, we'd like to see policy and legislation that holds tech companies directly to account for the costs of their technology rather than placing that burden on children and schools. We are pleased to see that the most updated versions of this legislation do bar schools from using exclusionary discipline. 

Looking for our past legislative agendas? 2025- 104th GA, 2024 - 103rd GA, 2023 - 103rd GA, 2022 - 102nd GA, 2021 - 102nd GA; 2020 - 101st GA; 2019 - 101st GA; 2018 - 100th GA

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:

• 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!

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.

Congress passed a massive and harmful bill in early July that includes sweeping cuts to essential programs that millions of people rely on every day. From healthcare and food assistance to housing, and clean energy investments, the harm done by this law will be felt in communities across the country—including in our public schools. To help break it all down, Citizen Action Illinois is holding a virtual briefing this coming Monday, Aug 11th at 11am with leading experts from the Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness, Illinois Environmental Council, the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, and Illinois Families for Public Schools.

Despite months of organizing and a concerted last-ditch effort by Democratic Senators to stop it, a federal voucher program ended up in the final version of the reconciliation bill that narrowly passed both chambers earlier this month.

There's been lots of public education news in recent days. Below we cover three stories where your action is needed:

• Legislation to create national voucher program advances in the US House
• Fallout from the Powerschool data breach continues, but no movement on student data privacy bill in Springfield
• For-profit virtual counseling services in CPS endanger students' private data

All over Illinois (and around the world!), people were in the streets again yesterday, this time for May Day, marching for workers, immigrants and the public good. Here’s three ways we can keep that energy going in the fight to defend our public schools…

The daily ramping up of authoritarianism by the Trump regime is distressing and daunting. And we’re seeing the impact of attacks on Illinois’ public schools, where federal funds are being slashed for everything from HVAC improvements to local foods in school cafeterias to National History Day. But there is also resistance taking place at all levels—including protecting public schools and public school students—that we must celebrate and build on.