A very famous scholarship given to youth in Chicago who are low income students have made many of them able to achieve going to their dream school. However, this opportunity is at risk of coming to an end. There is an expiration date set for the year 2025.
An Opportunity Arrives
The Illinois Invest In Kids Scholarship Program allows all taxpayers to gain a credit for every dollar they use to help the funding of scholarships that help students in Illinois. This program helps students from a lower class household, be able to afford going to a private school.
It is a very resourceful program that has helped so many students pay for a better education. Currently, there are about nine thousand students on the program and about twenty-six thousand on a waiting list. “My mom was struggling really hard and this helped her a lot,” said Leo, a high schooler that was given the grant. “Mom came into my room and she was really happy (and) said, ‘We got the scholarship.’ It gave her $8,000.”
This is a program that has changed many lives. According to Empower Illinois, the state has given out nearly forty-one thousand scholarships since 2018. That’s forty-one thousand students that were given a better schooling opportunity because of this grant. “Kids have the opportunity to attend a school they might not otherwise afford,” stated Michelle Fesi, Vice president of the school board for the Little Flower School in Springfield.
A Nightmare for Most
Unfortunately, even after all the success this program is getting, it has been confirmed that it will stop being funded by the year 2025. These are really devastating news for many people in the community. However, there is a way for this program to continue. If lawmakers were to step in, they would be able to save it and continue helping so many students. “We can’t keep talking about children reaching their purpose and then block them from the education they deserve,” stated Rev. Michael Pfleger.
However, some people argue that if this program were to continue, that it shouldn’t be restricted to Private schools only. Some people believe that the Chicago Public Schools should also get some of that money as well. There are many low-income students in public school that will benefit from it.
“Chicago Public Schools, alone, is $1.2 billion short from the state where it should be. And so, it’s really not OK to be handing over public dollars to private schools,” said Cassie Creswell, the IFPS (Illinois Families for Public Schools) director.
A Hope For Change
The community is still hoping that these news can change before 2025. Catholic schools have started to rally for this action to change and the program can continue. On September 13th of 2023, the St. Sabina Academy gathered faculty, parents, and students to rally for the continuation of these scholarships.
“This school gives them the successes they need, they’d be lost in a larger school.” said Nicole Edwin, mother of four students at Ss. Peter and Paul School. The community asks that this program remains active for it has helped them so much financially.
However, much has not been heard about any changes being made on this decision. All the community can do at this time is to wait for more updates on this situation. If this program were to shut down, all the forty-one thousand students that are on the waiting lists as of right now, will never get the opportunity they have been promised.
Written by Erika P. Cano Peralta
Sources:
WGN9: Scholarship tax credit program for Chicago students in jeopardy
Chicago Catholic: Catholic, religious schools rally to save tax credit scholarships
Senator Dave Syverson: Scholarships for low-income students in jeopardy
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