A few days ago we shared information about a strongly protective bill in the IL Senate that addressed several areas related to ed tech, protecting student data and AI in schools, SB 3735.

Sadly, that bill has not moved, but the Senate Democratic Caucus has a working group on artificial intelligence, and they released a package of bills that will have a hearing this afternoon in the Senate Executive Committee at 2pm.

We are very concerned about one of those bills related to education, SB 415. Please put in a witness slip to oppose this bill before 2pm!

The latest wave of a backlash against Big Tech’s takeover of the K-12 education system has been building around the country in recent months.After the jump we’re covering a few of the symptoms of this takeover first and then take a look at what solutions might be brewing here in Illinois:

We've got lots of important updates below, including good news on protecting student privacy in CPS and recent wins on the voucher front, bad news on the millionaires tax, and our plans for May Day.

If you are on social media, you can get many of these updates as they break via our feeds: Facebook, Bluesky, Instagram, Threads.

A millionaires tax could still appear on the ballot in November. The last day for the General Assembly to approve a resolution to put a ballot referendum to amend the Constitution is May 3rd. This is under discussion among House members today because the resolution is starting on the House side.

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.

As a friend of and fighter for public schools, there are advocacy steps you can take right now at every level of government to keep school vouchers from returning to Illinois! Your quick action to-do list this week is after the jump.

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.

Tuesday’s primary election was momentous for the big changes to come in Illinois’ Congressional delegation with an open US Senate seat and four open US House seats on the ballot. It was also historic in the volume of dark money poured into federal and state legislative races—with mixed success.

Much further down the ballot, some Illinois voters were asked to weigh in on whether Illinois should participate in the new federal voucher program.

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. 

Read on for news on primary ballot questions about the federal voucher program, dozens of advocacy groups calling on Gov. Pritzker to refuse vouchers for Illinois, and the latest on federal funding with public schools under siege due to federal immigration agents...