\u201cPublic dollars are for public schools. Point blank, period,\u201d said appointed board member Karen Zaccor, who represents District 4A on the North Side. \u201cWe are the stewards of those public dollars. Money pays for what we give our students \u2014 so this is about the students.\u201d<\/p>\n
But in a contentious debate prior to the vote, some elected board members questioned whether a resolution was the most effective avenue for advocacy.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a politically-motivated resolution, and politics don\u2019t belong in a boardroom,\u201d said Ellen Rosenfeld, District 4B. \u201cLet\u2019s go build relationships. Let\u2019s go talk to the governor and ask him to oppose it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Others pushed back. \u201cIf you don\u2019t want to do politics, then you shouldn\u2019t be on the school board because everything here is political,\u201d said board member Jitu Brown, who represents District 5A on the West Side.<\/p>\n
![\"Chicago](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/CTC-L-cps-voucher42_261413734.jpg\")
Chicago Board of Education member Jitu Brown speaks during the Chicago Board of Education meeting on April 8, 2026. (Antonio Perez\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n
Under the program \u2014 part of the sweeping One Big Beautiful Bill Act \u2014 donors can receive a dollar-for-dollar tax credit for up to $1,700 for contributions to scholarship-granting nonprofits. Those groups can then use the money to provide scholarships for private school tuition and other education-related expenses, including homeschooling costs.<\/p>\n
Republicans and religious conservatives have long championed voucher-style programs, arguing that they expand parental choice and give low-income students access to a better or more specialized education outside of their neighborhood school.<\/p>\n
In theory, some Chicago Public School students could also receive scholarship funding for resources such as tutoring or after-school activities. But federal officials have yet to clarify whether that money must first flow through outside organizations or whether public districts can access it themselves.<\/p>\n
Elected board member Therese Boyle, who abstained on the vote, said those outstanding questions are why she is hesitant to make a collective board statement. She suggested the issue could be instead added to the board\u2019s legislative agenda, which outlines the district\u2019s advocacy priorities ahead of each state legislative session.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m still learning about it, and it\u2019s very complex, which is probably why Pritzker hasn\u2019t made a decision yet, I\u2019m guessing,\u201d said Boyle, who represents District 9B on the Southwest Side. \u201cI feel like I don\u2019t know all the ins and outs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before the vote, Rosenfeld motioned to postpone the resolution indefinitely. The motion failed, with seven votes in favor \u2014 all from elected members \u2014 and 11 votes against from members backed by CTU, allowing the resolution to proceed.<\/p>\n
In the final vote, three elected members abstained: Rosenfeld, Boyle and Che \u201cRhymefest\u201d Smith. A spokesperson for Pritzker did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n
![\"Chicago](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/CTC-L-cps-voucher37_261413712.jpg\")
Chicago Board of Education member Ellen Rosenfeld, left, speaks alongside board member Carlos Rivas during the Chicago Board of Education meeting on April 8, 2026. (Antonio Perez\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n
Donors can claim the tax credits beginning in January 2027. In participating states, students whose family income does not exceed 300% of their area\u2019s median income are eligible for scholarships, amounting to $252,000 in Cook County.<\/p>\n
Experts told the Tribune that it is slightly unusual for a local school board to make a collective statement on a federal policy. But they also noted that the program could impact the district\u2019s funding streams, and that there are few levers for a school board to make its voice heard.<\/p>\n
\u201cGenerally a good governance practice on a school board is institutional neutrality,\u201d said Michael Ford, a professor of public administration at the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh. \u201cBut Chicago is a bit of an outlier when it comes to politics, given the size and complexity of both the board and the district.\u201d<\/p>\n
The majority of Chicago\u2019s hybrid school board was either elected with the support of CTU or appointed by Mayor Brandon Johnson, a former CTU organizer. The union is staunchly opposed to the tax-credit program.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to create more revenue opportunities to advocate together, collectively \u2026 not poke holes that are even bigger in our budget than currently exists,\u201d CTU Vice President Jackson Potter said prior to Wednesday\u2019s vote.<\/p>\n
An earlier draft of the One Big Beautiful Act mandated state participation, but that requirement was later dropped. So far, more than half of governors<\/a> have indicated their intent to participate, mostly in Republican states. Several Democratic governors who previously opposed the program have said they are reconsidering.<\/p>\n Pritzker appears to be taking a more cautious, wait-and-see approach. But in February, he sent a lengthy message<\/a> to Comptroller Susana Mendoza warning that the scholarships could go to private schools that \u201cteach values that are racist or antisemitic or Anti-American.\u201d<\/p>\n