500+ Rally on Chicago's South Side: Urge Pritzker to Opt Illinois Into Federal Education Tax Credit
CHICAGO — More than 500 South Side residents rallied Oct. 4 at Sweet Holy Spirit Church on South Chicago Avenue, urging Governor J.B. Pritzker to opt Illinois into the federal Education Freedom Tax Credit (§25F), which would help families pay for private-school tuition and other education expenses.
Hosted by Bishop Larry D. Trotter, the rally featured South Side pastors, state legislative candidates and parents. Organizers said parents in Chicago Public Schools most need education options, and the federal credit lets taxpayers donate to scholarship-granting organizations for a federal tax credit that funds student scholarships.
The credit was created by the One Big Beautiful Bill passed this summer — the first national school-choice education tax credit in U.S. history. After the U.S. Treasury released implementing regulations Oct. 1, each state's governor must formally opt in before families can use it. The Catholic Conference of Illinois issued an Oct. 2 statement publicly urging Pritzker to opt in. The Governor's office responded that it is thoroughly reviewing the program's details and its impact on school districts and has not made a final decision.
Illinois's own state-level education tax credit, the "Invest in Kids" scholarship program, expired at the end of 2023; supporters see the federal program as a potential replacement.
Sources: Educational Freedom Tax Credit Coalition (eftccredit.com); Catholic Conference of Illinois
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：伊利诺伊州州长普利茨克本人出席公开活动。摄影：Paul Goyette，CC BY 4.0，取自 Wikimedia Commons
