State senator urges Gov Pritzker to opt Illinois into school choice scholarship tax credit

An Illinois state legislator says Gov. J.B. Pritzker can send students in failing schools a lifeline by joining a federal tax credit program.

The "one big beautiful bill" that President Donald Trump approved earlier this month includes a 100% tax credit for anyone who donates up to $1,700 to a school choice scholarship granting organization. Illinois state Sen. Andrew Chesney said it’s a simple administrative step for a state to participate.

“It should be an easy choice for the governor, but it's a politically difficult choice when you take a look at the extreme is in place within the Democrat Party,” Chesney told The Center Square.

In a statement about claims the law’s impact will have on Illinois education, Pritzker’s office said the scholarship program could impact funding for public schools.

“Creating a new tax credit refund that benefits private school donors who pay for tuition vouchers, potentially reducing state and federal funding for public schools that experience a decline in student enrollment,” Pritzker’s office said in a statement along with other criticism of the federal law.

Chesney pushed back.

“Has no impact on the funding for public schools. He knows that. We all know it,” Chesney said. “He just has an interest, a political interest in not liking it.”

The federal program is slated to begin in 2027.

Chesney said not opting in to the federal program could leave some students trapped in failing schools.

“I think you can make this case in the South Side of Chicago, I think you can make this case in the suburbs, and you can make this case in your rural communities that if a parent has a problem with their school, they should be able to fire that school system and put their child in a school district or a private school, a charter school of their choice,” he said.

Illinois’ Invest in Kids program approved in 2017 gave a 75% tax credit for such scholarships. State legislators allowed the program to expire at the end of 2023. The program benefited 40,000 families.