{"id":2155666,"date":"2024-01-22T09:36:02","date_gmt":"2024-01-22T14:36:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/expired-school-choice-program-blamed-for-illinois-schools-closing\/"},"modified":"2024-01-22T09:38:47","modified_gmt":"2024-01-22T14:38:47","slug":"expired-school-choice-program-blamed-for-illinois-schools-closing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/expired-school-choice-program-blamed-for-illinois-schools-closing\/","title":{"rendered":"Illinois school closures blamed on expired school choice program"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fexpired-school-choice-program-blamed-for-illinois-schools-closing%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2155666&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>The Fallout Begins: Illinois Schools Close as Scholarship Program Expires<\/h2>\n<p>The aftermath of the expired Invest in Kids\u2062 school choice scholarship program is hitting Illinois hard,\u200c with schools already announcing their closures. \u200dThis week, the Archdiocese of \u2062Chicago revealed that two west suburban \u2062Catholic schools,\u200b St. Frances of Rome in Cicero and St. Odilo in Berwyn, will be shutting down at the end of the school year.<\/p>\n<p>With 104 students on scholarship at St. Frances of Rome and 60 students on scholarship at St. Odilo, \u2062the impact \u2064of the program&#8217;s expiration is evident. Invest in \u2062Kids, a bipartisan initiative passed in\u200d 2017, provided full or\u200b partial\u2063 scholarships to over 10,000 low-income students \u200dacross the \u2064state, enabling them to \u200cattend their ideal\u200d private schools. Donors to the program received \u2062a generous 75% Illinois income tax credit.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3>Empower Illinois Stands in\u200b Solidarity<\/h3>\n<p>&#8220;Empower Illinois stands in solidarity\u2062 with the parents, students, teachers,\u2063 and communities of St. \u200bFrances of Rome and St. Odilo.\u200d Without this life-changing scholarship program, many \u200dof those\u2062 families\u200b simply could not afford to attend the school, forcing its closure,&#8221; \u200bexpressed Bobby Sylvester, Executive Director of Empower Illinois.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Although a compromise was proposed last fall \u2062to allocate \u200b$50 \u2063million annually to the program, Democrats, who hold the majority in both legislative chambers, declined to take\u2062 action. Governor J.B. Pritzker had previously stated his \u2063willingness to sign an extension if the bill reached his\u2062 desk.<\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8220;A Means for Struggling Families to Escape Poverty&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I think it is important to note that the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gov-gretchen-whitmer-vetoes-bills-helping-low-income-families-leave-failing-public-schools\/\" title=\"Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Vetoes Bills Helping Low-Income Families Leave Failing Public Schools\">tax credit scholarship program<\/a> is providing means for struggling families to get out of poverty,&#8221; emphasized \u2063Bob Gilligan, Executive Director of \u200bthe Catholic Conference of Illinois.<\/p>\n<p>Gilligan remains hopeful that the program will be renewed in the near future, as many lawmakers have expressed their interest in ongoing discussions. The Catholic Conference of Illinois is committed to \u2064advocating for the families \u200bimpacted by this \u2062unfortunate turn of events.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What are the immediate consequences of the expiration of the\u2062 Invest in Kids program \u2062on schools in Illinois,\u2064 particularly those serving \u2064low-income communities?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Ing closures and families scrambling to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/blistering-doc-whose-children-are-they-takes-on-teachers-unions\/\" title=\"Blistering Doc \u201cWhose Children Are They\u201d Takes on Teachers Unions\">find alternative options<\/a>\u2063 for their children&#8217;s education.\u2062 The program, which provided \u200bscholarships to\u2063 low-income students, officially expired on June 30, and\u200d its termination is already having widespread consequences in \u200cthe state. Illinois must now \u2064face the fallout and address \u200dthe <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/live-2-pm-et-house-oversight-committee-hearing-on-bidenomics-a-perfect-storm-of-spending-debt-and-inflation\/\" title=\"LIVE NOW: House Oversight Committee Hearing on 'Bidenomics: Spending, Debt, and Inflation' at 2 PM ET.\">potential long-term impacts<\/a> on its education system.<\/p>\n<p>The Invest\u2064 in Kids program was initiated in 2017\u200c as\u2064 a \u2062way\u200c to expand\u2064 school choice options for families in Illinois. It allowed businesses and individuals to receive tax credits for donations made to scholarship granting \u2063organizations (SGOs). These SGOs then provided scholarships to\u2063 low-income students, enabling them to attend \u2063private schools of their choice. The program aimed to provide equal educational opportunities for all\u2064 students, regardless of\u2064 their socioeconomic background.<\/p>\n<p>The termination of this program\u2063 has left many schools in a precarious situation. Numerous private\u200c schools, particularly \u200cthose serving low-income\u200b communities, heavily relied on the scholarship funds provided by Invest in Kids. With the program expired, these schools are \u2063now facing an acute\u200b financial crisis, making it increasingly \u200cdifficult for them to sustain operations, pay\u2062 teachers, and provide quality education to their students.<\/p>\n<p>In recent weeks, several schools have announced their closure due to the financial\u2064 strain caused by the program&#8217;s expiration. For example, Saint Joyce Academy, a \u2062private school in Chicago, \u200bwas forced to shut its doors after being unable to secure sufficient funding \u200bto continue operating. \u2064This closure, along with others throughout the state, is \u2063a clear indication of \u2062the immediate impact the program&#8217;s expiration has \u2062had on Illinois schools.<\/p>\n<p>The closure of these schools brings forth numerous \u2064challenges for\u2062 the \u2062affected\u200d families. Parents are now left scrambling to find\u2064 suitable alternative options for\u200c their children, often \u2063within a limited timeframe. In \u2064Illinois, where public \u200dschools are already\u200c grappling\u2062 with overcrowding and underfunding, this situation adds further strain to \u2062an already overburdened\u200d system.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, the long-term consequences \u2063of the Invest in Kids program&#8217;s expiration are concerning. By closing down schools \u200bthat were \u2063providing quality education\u200b to low-income students, there\u200c is a risk of\u2063 exacerbating educational inequities in the state. These closures may force students back \u2064into underperforming public schools, undermining the progress \u200bmade in expanding educational opportunities.<\/p>\n<p>To mitigate the \u2062fallout from the program&#8217;s expiration, \u200bimmediate action is needed from state policymakers. Extended financial support must be provided to struggling schools\u2062 to keep them afloat during this trying period. Additionally,\u2062 investment\u200d in public \u200dschools should be increased\u200c to accommodate the influx of students who are \u2063now left without private \u200beducation options.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, there is a need to\u2064 reevaluate Illinois&#8217;\u2062 approach\u200d to \u2064school choice and\u2062 scholarship programs. Expanding\u2064 access \u2064to quality education for low-income students should remain a\u200b priority, and alternative \u2062methods of \u200bfunding and support must be explored. This includes exploring partnerships with private organizations,\u2064 incentivizing businesses to contribute to scholarship programs, and\u200c ensuring a sustainable and\u2062 equitable distribution of resources.<\/p>\n<p>The fallout from the \u2063expiration \u2064of the Invest in Kids scholarship\u200c program is \u2062a wake-up call for Illinois. It underscores the need for comprehensive and sustainable policies that prioritize\u2064 the educational needs of all students, regardless of their background. Swift\u200b action must be \u2064taken to \u200bprevent further school closures and to ensure \u200bthat every child in Illinois has access to \u2062a quality education. Only through strategic and thoughtful measures can the state overcome this \u2064challenging period and\u200d cultivate a brighter \u2063future for its students.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Invest in Kids school choice scholarship program&#8217;s expiration in Illinois has led to school closures. The Archdiocese of Chicago recently announced the closure of two west suburban Catholic schools, including St. Frances of Rome in Cicero, by the end of the school year. Fallout from the program&#8217;s end is now evident<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2155667,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2155666","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2155666","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2155666"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2155666\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2155667"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2155666"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2155666"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2155666"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}