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Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) has walked back his opposition to a “relatively small” school choice program in the state after previously vowing to repeal it.
In a candidate questionnaire for the Chicago Sun-Times this week, Pritzker, who is running for reelection, indicated that he now supports the Invest in Kids Scholarship program, which annually allocates $100 million for low-income students to attend private and parochial schools through a tax credit scholarship program.
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“My main focus with respect to K-12 education is ensuring that there is sufficient funding for all children to receive a quality education, regardless of their zip code,” Pritzker said in the questionnaire. “That’s why I’ve dedicated an additional $1.3 billion toward public education during my term. With assurance from the advocates for Invest in Kids that they will support increased public school funding, my budgets have ultimately included the relatively small Invest in Kids Scholarship Program.”
JB Pritzker
The position is a stark reversal from Pritzker’s campaign promise in 2018, when he vowed to eliminate the program, which was first enacted in 2017 by then-Gov. Bruce Rauner, a Republican.
“I’m opposed to that $75 million tax credit, that school voucher system,” he said at the time. “We should as soon as possible do away with it. What I oppose is taking money out of the public schools, and that’s what happened here.”
The governor’s shift in policy toward school choice makes him the latest Democrat to offer at least a tacit endorsement of school choice, a policy that uses public education funds for private education. Josh Shapiro, who is running for governor in Pennsylvania, likewise says he supports “adding choices for parents and educational opportunity for students and funding lifeline scholarships.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Pritzker is expected to cruise to reelection in deep blue Illinois. His opponent, Republican Darren Bailey, has consistently trailed in the polls by double-digit margins.
