West Cook News

Despite his deep connection to the state’s Catholic schools, Illinois Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) has not shown support for extending the Invest In Kids Tax Credit Scholarship program. 

Harmon is just one of several Illinois legislators who have personally benefitted from private school education and who blocked education opportunities for needy children. He is a graduate of St. Ignatius, where his kids currently attend school. St. Ignatius costs $20,250 per year. 99% of the school's graduates go on to a four-year institution. Harmon discussed his background in the Catholic school system in a video. 

“I know each of you has made a lasting impact on a child’s life,” Harmon said in a video shared on Twitter. “I would not be where I am today without the wonderful teachers at St. Giles & St. Ignatius. Now I nominate Senate Minority Leader Dan McConchie to share a video showing his appreciation for Illinois teachers.” 

Chicago’s Morning Answer host called out Harmon and other legislative leaders for sending their kids to Catholic schools but eliminating funding for low-income students. 

“Senate President Don Harmon's kids: St. Giles, St. Ignatius,” Proft said on Twitter. “House Speaker Chris Welch's kids: Timothy Christian. Why not OPRF or Proviso?”

St. Ignatius was called out as a reason to support Invest In Kids by V. Rev. Karl J. Kiser, Provincial of the Midwest Province of the Society of Jesus. 

“Loyola Academy and Saint Ignatius College Prep, serve a significant number of students who meet the financial qualifications of this scholarship,” Kiser said in defense of Invest In Kids. “Jesuit schools serve both Catholic families seeking a Catholic education for their children, as well as families of other faith traditions who value Jesuit education. Jesuit schools in Illinois perform a public service educating nearly 4700 students formed to be leaders in our Illinois communities. The Invest in Kids Tax Credit Scholarship Program gives families a choice for their children: to attend Jesuit schools that provide a college preparatory, values-based education for the whole child.”

Harmon is one of 35 of the 177 state legislators who attended private high schools. The private high school graduates include 10 Republicans and 25 Democrats, 15 of whom were raised in the City of Chicago, according to a recent survey conducted by Prairie State Wire.

The Invest in Kids Tax Credit Scholarship Program allows donors to receive a tax benefit for donating to a state-maintained scholarship program for private schools for low-income families. The program serves more than 9,000 K-12 students who are the beneficiaries of the Invest in Kids Tax Credit. Despite benefitting less fortunate students, the scholarship program was not in any way included in the Democrat-led state budget of over $50 billion which was crafted on 3,500 pages.

“This is not something that’s been covered by the budget agreement. It’s something that still has time, potentially, but it’s not something that’s in the budget agreement,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said at a press conference announcing a budget deal had been struck.

Critics highlighted the hypocrisy of legislators who favored salvaging the program. Pritzker and other politicians had sent or were sending their own children to expensive private schools while denying the same opportunity to students who need the scholarship. The Wall Street Journal highlighted the power dynamics between teachers' unions, Democratic lawmakers, and the failure of the public education system. The decision to sunset the scholarship program disregarded the needs of low-income students but prioritized the interests of unions over educational reform. The main reason behind the opposition to the program was the influence of teachers' unions, with the agenda to terminate it because its popularity underlined the failures of public schools. 

Last year alone, the Invest in Kids program received over 31,000 applications, signifying a high demand for alternatives to underperforming public schools. Many low-income families, particularly Black and Hispanic, supported the scholarship program because their assigned Illinois schools had low proficiency rates in reading and math. The failure of the public education system was evident from the fourth to eighth grades, leading to a high demand to seek options. However, the unions prioritized their power over student learning and pointed fingers at the schools' failures on lack of funding rather than addressing systemic issues. WSJ reports union leaders hold significant influence over Illinois lawmakers, who have received substantial campaign contributions from teachers' unions.