| Oppose School Vouchers - SB 1932,
a bill to provide a pilot voucher program in Chicago.
April 12, 2011
ACTION NEEDED:
LWVIL opposes school vouchers. Please contact your State Senator today and urge him or her to VOTE NO on SB 1932. You can find contact information for your elected officials at http://www.ilga.gov
UPDATE:
Last week, SB 1932 was amended to put a cap of $3800 per pupil for vouchers and gave the pilot program an end date of 2020. Because of this amendment, it is expected to garner more votes. Last year, it passed with a slim margin; with more votes, it could pass handily. It is expected to be voted on this week. Its passage could pave the way for HB 2984 (Sosnowski-R), which would create a task force to study the feasibility of a statewide voucher system. HB 2984 passed in the Elementary and Secondary Education Committee and is on its third reading. At this time, we are watching this bill.
TALKING POINTS:
- Vouchers place increased financial pressure on the school districts they draw from and do nothing to address the equitable and adequate funding of education, including special education.
- With school districts already facing deep cuts and some districts borrowing to keep the doors open, vouchers will benefit only a few students while the majority will watch their programs cut and staff reduced. SB 1932 could potentially divert $106 M from Chicago Public Schools — funds still required to maintain buildings and programs for students remaining in the public schools.
- The goal should be to improve schools for all Illinois students. The State should begin by paying its outstanding bills to schools for FY 2011.
BACKGROUND:
SB 1932 passed out of committee Tuesday night and now heads to the Senate floor for a vote. The bill is virtually identical to the one that introduced last year which passed the Senate and came within a few votes of passing the House and being signed into law. In both chambers, Republicans provided the most support. This bill, SB 1932, has a chance of passing.
The LWVIL opposes the use of vouchers. It is the League’s position that public funds should not go to non-public schools. Illinois, with a runaway deficit, continues to face cuts to early childhood programs, an underfunded higher education system, and owes state school districts millions of dollars that were appropriated but not paid this fiscal year. These districts will face even deeper cuts in FY 2012.
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