We\u2019re still wondering whether Gov. JB Pritzker will opt into a new federal school choice program, and we know we\u2019re not alone. The governor\u2019s public messaging has ranged from bashing the program (and the president) to saying he just needs more time to consider the facts.<\/p>\n
While he tries to buy more time, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul\u2019s office is now saying the governor is \u201csupportive of the federal tax credit scholarship and its potential to help New York students and schools,\u201d Chalkbeat<\/a> reported last week. A Hochul spokesperson did tell Chalkbeat that they\u2019re still waiting for information from the federal government on the full program details, and the Treasury Department reportedly is working on program guidelines ahead of the Jan. 1, 2027, deadline for states to opt in.<\/p>\n Signaling support isn\u2019t the same thing as signing on the dotted line, but going on the record in this manner is a big deal, especially in a blue state. Hochul\u2019s team surely understood the governor was opening herself up to attacks and a coordinated effort from teachers unions to stop her from making good on her support. <\/p>\n We view her positioning as cautious and courageous acceptance. Pritzker\u2019s stance conveys mostly skepticism.<\/p>\n All but one of the 29 states that have opted into the school choice program is led by Republicans. Democratic governors are plainly wary of becoming early blue-state adopters of a program closely associated with the Trump administration and opposed by teachers unions.<\/p>\n \u201cPrivate school vouchers are a scam designed to undermine public education,\u201d Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates said in February of the program, capturing teachers unions\u2019 deep skepticism of school choice.\u00a0<\/p>\n That resistance is wrongheaded and obstructive. A child should receive an education where she can get it. Illinois now has free money on the table to give kids that option if their public school isn\u2019t working for them.<\/p>\n The only blue-state governor willing to take that leap thus far is Colorado\u2019s governor, Jared Polis, a commonsense leader on more than just this issue.\u00a0<\/p>\n If Hochul joins him in OK\u2019ing the federal school choice program, it\u2019s possible the dam will break on Democratic holdouts. There\u2019s safety in numbers, after all, and every time another blue-state leader signs up, it gets easier and easier for others to follow suit.<\/p>\n Hochul, like Polis, is often viewed as a centrist Democrat, and though she\u2019s taken strong pro-abortion rights stances and raised the minimum wage, on things like criminal justice she takes a commonsense approach. That tracks here \u2014 anyone stepping out on this issue by nature must be more open to considering issues on a standalone basis, considering their merits and the benefits to constituents first instead of deferring to the party line. <\/p>\n Of course, given that Pritzker is mulling a presidential run, he\u2019s clearly worrying here about how the school issue will affect his progressive bona fides. We think Pritzker would do better to position himself in a more moderate political lane, in which case he\u2019d benefit from taking a page out of Polis and Hochul\u2019s book.\u00a0<\/p>\n Opting in would go a long way in repairing the harm Illinois Democrats did in 2023 when they ripped away low-income scholarships for kids participating in a similar Illinois school choice program.\u00a0<\/p>\n You can support public schools and still believe in giving families options. <\/p>\n Far from being inherently unjust, this is a real-world approach to how education should work. We should not force kids into a model that doesn\u2019t work for them. Doing so only leads to frustration and disappointment, not just from the students and their families but from those on the front lines trying to teach.<\/p>\n The unions feel uneasy about the prospect of more kids having a choice in where they learn the three R\u2019s, and with good reason. More kids would likely opt out of underperforming public schools if they had access to scholarship money. Increasingly, that\u2019s what those with means are already doing. In January, a report<\/a> from the trusted Kids First Chicago showed that CPS is serving a smaller share of the city\u2019s school-age population, evidence that parental choice is in no small part behind CPS\u2019 enrollment woes. In 2018, CPS enrolled about 75% of Chicago\u2019s school-age children. By 2023, that share had fallen to roughly 71%.\u00a0<\/p>\n So where does this leave us?<\/p>\n It leaves us with families understandably frustrated with a system that is producing unacceptable academic outcomes and political leaders unwilling to allow for other options, even as some of those leaders choose private schools for their own children.<\/p>\n We\u2019ll be watching to see where Hochul ultimately comes down on the federal school choice program. We suspect Pritzker will be, too. Our hope is that both have the courage to opt in \u2014 for the good of the students in New York and Illinois.<\/p>\n Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here<\/a> or email letters@chicagotribune.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"We\u2019re still wondering whether Gov. 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