Agudath Israel of Illinois is deeply disappointed in the Illinois Legislature for failing to extend the Invest in Kids Act. With over 9,600 low-income children currently on scholarship, it was shocking that some elected officials were so callous as to allow the rug to be pulled from under these students. All this transpired despite recent statewide polling conducted by Impact Research that reaffirmed that a majority of Illinois voters strongly support this program.
What was launched in 2018 as a “pilot program“ quickly became a popular and vital avenue to provide educational opportunities to low-income families, including hundreds from our Orthodox Jewish community. Along with our coalition partners, AIOI has worked tirelessly over the last year to remove the program’s sunset provision, or at least to extend it. We have pursued every possible compromise to address concerns expressed by the Governor and the legislative leaders. Unfortunately, powerful special interest groups were prioritized over the welfare of children. Politics won and kids lost.
Despite our best faith efforts, the legislature refused to bring any bill to a vote. We are especially disappointed in those state lawmakers that represent portions of our Jewish community who refused to support our efforts, or were even obstructive. We do, however, wish to express our gratitude to the legislators who, despite political pressure, had the courage to publicly support our cause.
When the General Assembly reconvenes for the legislative spring session in January, we will renew our efforts to reinstate the tax credit so that children and families will not experience a significant disruption to their education. It may not get easier, but we won’t give up. Our children are worth the fight.