Illinois these days is a regional outlier on school choice. A new billboard along I-94 at the Illinois-Indiana border rubs our noses in it.
“Illinois Residents!” the billboard beckons. “Take Advantage of Indiana’s EFTC Program!”
EFTC stands for education freedom tax credit, and as the billboard also notes, donors can realize up to a $1,700 federal tax credit if they donate to a K-12 scholarship organization in Indiana. That’s because the Hoosier state has opted into the new federal program that allows donor money to fund scholarships — for private school or any number of other educational expenses, like tutoring — for low-income kids. Students are eligible for these scholarships if their household income is at or below 300% of the area median income.
More Top Picks Best Peloton Alternatives For Seniors
The catch? Your kid can’t benefit unless your state opts into the program. Indiana has. To this point, Illinois has not.
The Institute for Quality Education is the Indianapolis-based outfit behind the I-94 ad campaign, which launched Monday. The nonprofit describes itself as Indiana’s first and largest scholarship-granting organization. The intent behind this effort, they say, is to let Illinois taxpayers put their federal tax dollars to work for students. Even if they’re not Illinois students.
It’s not just that Indiana has school choice and Illinois doesn’t. It’s that, yet again, Indiana is coming after us on our home turf. Pledge now, they beckon. Send your money to Indiana. Donations open up on Jan. 1, 2027.
Meanwhile, in the face of adamant opposition to the federal school-choice program by public school teacher unions, Gov. JB Pritzker continues to be noncommittal, with just a scant few months remaining to decide.
Indiana isn’t waiting around, and its pressure campaign may be doing Illinois families a favor. Do we really want Illinoisans’ charitable giving flowing out of our state? We don’t know how much money Illinois donors would give to an out-of-state scholarship-granting organization, but we do see that it’s possible that this Indiana advantage opens up a stream of donations that would otherwise be going to Illinois nonprofits if state officials were to opt into the program.
For years, Illinois ran a tax-credit scholarship program of its own called Invest in Kids. This program was a life-changer for families and kids who wouldn’t otherwise have been able to afford private school tuition.
We heard from families whose kids were bullied or who were in a classroom setting in which they found themselves frustrated and behind. Some were in unsafe environments. Whatever the reason, Invest in Kids gave them options.
In 2023, Illinois lawmakers took away that lifeline. That’s the year they effectively ended school choice by failing to renew the Invest in Kids program.
Look to the east, west and south and we are surrounded by states — Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri — that have opted in to the new federal scholarship program. The one exception is Wisconsin, but perhaps that’s because it has a robust school choice program of its own, meaning families already have flexibility up north.
Illinois, then, is on an island. Left floating adrift are the mothers, fathers and children who are deprived of the same access and options as kids in other states.
More Top Picks Best Quilting Sewing Machines For Jeans
If Gov. Pritzker continues to bow to teacher unions on what strikes us as a no-brainer decision, Illinoisans who believe in school choice and would love the tax break have an option. They should check out www.i4qed.org. We saw it on a billboard.
Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email [email protected].