The DeVos, Rahm, Rauner, Cupich tax credit voucher plan is up for renewal. Kill it.

In 2017 I warned that with the urging of then Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, former Governor Bruce Rauner, former Mayor Rahm Emanuel and current Chicago Cardinal Blasé Cupich, the legislature was planning to adopt a tax credit school voucher plan.

In spite of protest by parents and public school advocates the Democratic Illinois legislature went ahead and passed it.

Called the Invest in Kids Act, the law allowed up to $75 million in tax revenue to be diverted to private schools each year.

It didn’t invest in kids. It was a tax give away to the Catholic archdiocese and private schools and took limited state dollars away from public schools.

It was a deal that was negotiated behind closed doors by the state’s political leaders and the Catholic church.

The Sun-Times reported at the time:

Cardinal Blasé Cupich emailed the mayor in mid-April after learning that U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos was scheduling meetings with big-city mayors on Trump administration education priorities.

“I am personally interested in the proposal to fund a $20 billion federal education tax credit as part of the federal tax reform. I am convinced that this could be an enormous boost to the Chicago schools and the thousands of parents who use our [Catholic] schools,” Cupich wrote. “I am grateful that you understand the importance of school choice for poor families who see this as a viable way for the family to move out of poverty.”

Cupich closed by wishing the mayor a “blessed Passover to you and the family.”

Emanuel replied, “Have a Good Friday. Of course we will discuss.”

The tax credit voucher program was to sunset after the 2022-2023 school year.

It has already been extended for one additional school year.

Some in the legislature want to make it permanent.

The Illinois tax credit voucher plan should die.