IEA president and IFT executive vice president denounce Governor Pritzker’s inaction and Comptroller Mendoza’s support for federal voucher scheme

SPRINGFIELD- A joint statement from Illinois Federation of Teachers Executive Vice President Cyndi Oberle-Dahm and Illinois Education Association President Karl Goeke on Governor JB Pritzker's inaction and Comptroller Susana Mendoza's support for a federal private school tax credit scheme:

"At a moment when public education is under coordinated attack across this country, Illinois should be leading with clarity, not confusion.

Governors-including Democrats like Andy Beshear in Kentucky-have made it plain: public dollars belong in public schools. Here in Illinois, where more than 90 percent of our students attend public schools, that principle should not be up for debate.

And yet, instead of fighting forward for our state's public schools and the students who attend them, we are seeing hesitation from Governor Pritzker and active support from Comptroller Susana Mendoza for a Trump-backed federal tax credit scheme that opens the door to privatization, taxpayer-funded discrimination, and a race to the bottom in educating our young people. We call on Governor Pritzker to do the right thing here: Denounce this voucher scheme. Stand tall for public schools.

Let's call this what it is: a resurrected school voucher program backed by and for the ultra-wealthy. It is unregulated, unaccountable, and designed to divert resources away from the schools that serve the overwhelming majority of Illinois students and into private institutions that are not required to serve every child.

At a time when our state should be strengthening its commitment to public education and working to fund the more than $5 billion our students are owed, Comptroller Mendoza's position would align Illinois with the White House's agenda that has consistently sought to dismantle it.

We do not have to guess what the consequences look like. Illinois educators, parents and voters have rejected vouchers before because we already witnessed how they siphon money out of public schools. We've seen how vouchers subsidize unregulated and unaccountable private schools that don't hold the same responsibilities to rural students who need bus routes, let alone students with disabilities or English language learners who need specific supports. We understand what is at stake. This scheme from Washington is no different. It is a threat to the stability, equity and future of our public education system.

That's why educators, parents and community members across Illinois have been fighting for full funding for our public schools-places where the needs of students and their families are met, and where parents and communities lead the way, not billionaires.

The path forward is not complicated: fully fund every level of our public schools, invest in the students we serve, and reject any policy-state or federal-that undermines the foundation of public education."

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The 135,000 member Illinois Education Association (IEA-NEA) is the state's largest union. IEA represents Pre K-12 teachers outside the city of Chicago and education support staff, higher education faculty, retired education employees and students preparing to become teachers, statewide.