A program that provides scholarships to low-income students is in jeopardy as it is set to expire at the end of the year if the Legislature fails to act during the upcoming fall Veto Session.

The Invest in Kids Scholarship Fund helps underserved students improve their chances of academic success by offering private-dollar scholarships for them to attend a different school. Invest in Kids offers a 75% state income tax credit to individuals and businesses that contribute to the Fund. Scholarships are provided to families that meet certain academic and income requirements. 

Since its inception in 2018 as part of the negotiated school funding reform, the program has provided 40,000 scholarships to K-12 students.

The looming fate of the program comes as just this week, news reports have called attention to hypocritical comments made by the head of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU), who has been a staunch opponent of Invest in Kids. In a report by WBEZ, the CTU President confirmed that one of her children attends a private high school despite her many comments criticizing these schools.