School vouchers rejected despite suburban support
SPRINGFIELD - An experimental voucher program for Chicago Public Schools was shot down in the House on Wednesday, suggesting that state-endorsed alternatives for students at failing public schools aren't going to be adopted any time soon.
The House unofficially killed a proposal that would allow students from Chicago Public Schools that test in the state's bottom 10th percentile to receive tuition waivers for attendance at their choice of private schools.
The legislation was rejected in an unusually bipartisan split of 66 to 42, although the proposal's sponsor procedurally wiped out the vote in order to save it for a possible reprise later in the session.
State Rep. Elaine Nekritz, a Northbrook Democrat, said among the reasons she opposed the proposal was its lack of guaranteed access into private schools for select students, such as special education students and students not proficient in English. Nekritz also suggested the proposal may encounter legal challenges questioning the use of public money to support religious schools.
The proposal would have the state issue vouchers to elementary and middle school students in Chicago's "low-performing" public schools, referring to schools whose state testing scores fall in the bottom 10 percent. The Illinois State Board of Education then would issue vouchers worth $3,717 - funding that otherwise would fund Chicago Public Schools - in order to cover the cost of tuition at a private school of choice.
State Rep. Suzie Bassi, a Palatine Republican, spent 10 years as a public schoolteacher and 8 years as a school board member. Although she's always been opposed to vouchers, she said, she supported them Wednesday because of compelling evidence for vouchers in other areas.
"History has shown that these kids will fail if they stay in these schools," Bassi said, holding back tears. "And even if a tax increase occurs later this year, there's no guarantee that the 22,000 to 30,000 kids in those overcrowded and failing schools will get help."
State Rep. Ed Sullivan, Jr., a Mundelein Republican, said he'd support the legislation because it targets the most challenged demographic of Chicago Public Schools students.
"These are the worst of the worst schools that we're trying to raise up their standards, and in turn, raise up all the kids' standards. That's why we're here," Sullivan said.
State Rep. Kevin Joyce, the Chicago Democrat who sponsored the proposal, said he'd consider asking for another vote before the session's scheduled end this week, but recognized that time was short.