Chicago Public Schools’ top administrator told parents a mask-optional model for students and staff is coming soon. A Chicago Teachers Union dictate has kept students in masks despite the statewide mandate being lifted.
Invest in Kids tax credit scholarships give opportunities to minority families and stability to students when hard times hit. Tough choices await when the scholarships dry up.
“The scholarships help us a lot because I am self-employed, and I don’t always have a fixed income. On my own, it would be very difficult to afford the tuition and fees at our local private school. The scholarship has helped me to keep my kids in a good school.”
“Because of the Invest in Kids scholarships, my boys are thriving in schools they love in a community that has really supported us."
Illinois’ tax credit scholarship program for low-income families helped these three single moms and their children. Education during COVID-19 is failing low-income students, but the program can help if state lawmakers back bills to save and expand it.
The governor’s maintenance of statewide school mask mandates without benchmarks for their removal makes Illinois an outlier.
Half of Illinois’ school districts serve one to two schools. Consolidating school districts, but leaving schools alone, would decrease administrative costs and yield more money for classrooms to boost student achievement.
Illinois has already distributed billions in federal COVID-19 relief funds for education to school districts. The pandemic windfall should be used to help lagging students, not create programs requiring new taxes.
"I think that would be a great feature if they’re able to expand the current Invest in Kids scholarships to cover pre-kindergarten. A lot of the Catholic schools or private schools start at pre-K. So giving them the opportunity to start at pre-K versus [kindergarten] allows kids to build those relationships and get used to everything sooner."
The unconventional learning formats caused by the COVID-19 pandemic are taking a toll on Illinois students. There is a solution.
Frustrated with COVID-19 disruptions and remote learning, more Illinois parents are pursing non-public school options.
Roughly half of the low-income students benefitting from Illinois’ tax credit scholarships are minorities, and about 26,000 students are waiting for a chance at a private school that better fits their needs. State lawmakers are working on a permanent fix.
“I hope that many Latinos come forward and ask a Catholic school, ‘What opportunities are there?’ And when they ask me, ‘Gosh, how do you do it?’ I respond, ‘Ask! Ask the school closest to your home. Go and ask.’"
Illinois teachers currently face mandated COVID-19 testing if unvaccinated. The Illinois State Board of Education might remove that option depending on whether it follows Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s mandate or a high court decision.