Hundreds of students and families demand legislative action.

Hundreds of families, school leaders, and community advocates gathered recently in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood to demand action from Illinois lawmakers to save their scholarships by renewing the Invest in Kids Act Tax Credit Scholarship Program. Lawmakers will have an opportunity to vote on the program’s extension as they gather next week in Springfield for their annual veto session. The program currently is set to expire at the end of 2023.

“We’ve carefully been listening to lawmakers and hearing their suggestions and feedback for how to improve the Tax Credit Scholarship Program. In response, we are proposing the creation of a new priority category of scholarships exclusively for students who live in areas disproportionately impacted by poverty,” said Anthony Holter, president of Empower Illinois.

“Further, our proposed amendment to the Invest in Kids Act will lessen the state’s liability for TCS tax credits, while also attracting more low- and middle-income donors by incentivizing smaller donations. We believe these new ideas contain great potential to improve the program and encourage its extension for another five years,” Holter continued.

If the Illinois General Assembly fails to take action this year to save the Invest in Kids Act Tax Credit Scholarship Program, then 9,500 students from low-income families statewide will lose their scholarships, causing many to leave their best-fit school. Additionally, the dreams of 26,000 more students on the waitlist will evaporate if the program is reduced or even eliminated. If the General Assembly fails to act, their inaction disproportionately will harm Black and Brown students from low-income families.

“The Tax Credit Scholarship Program is changing the lives of Black and Brown students on the southeast side of Chicago,” said Roni Facen, principal of St. Francis de Sales High School, a member of the Big Shoulders Fund Plus network. “The truth is our most vulnerable students would be affected by the loss of the program. I know, because I was just like them, sitting in some of the same desks at the exact same high school, with a similar life-changing scholarship. Our 55 young people, who receive today’s scholarships, are extraordinary and deserve the same opportunities as those from heavily resourced communities.”

Since the Invest in Kids Act Tax Credit Scholarship Program began, nearly 41,000 scholarships have been awarded to kids from low-income and working-class families. These scholarships have helped students find their best-fit education, but tens-of-thousands more still are waiting for assistance.

The Illinois General Assembly will have opportunities during the next three weeks to provide educational stability to vulnerable families by renewing the Invest in Kids Act Tax Credit Scholarship Program.