Our Stories
The debate on whether Illinois should opt in or out of the Federal Tax Credit Scholarship Program has been growing in the last few months. After a review of the facts, our conclusion was to hold out on judgment as we await further guidance from the federal government and continue to learn from stakeholders on both sides of the debate. To help Illinois’ families better understand the impact of the tax scholarship program and the positions of proponents and opponents, we hosted a Virtual Townhall on June 10th.
NEW Illinois Phone-Free Schools Implementation Guide Released
Stand for Children Illinois made public comments to the Illinois Community College Board’s proposed rules for Dual Credit programs.
May 2026 wrap up of the top issues, successes, and updates about Illinois education and children.
The Federal Tax Credit Scholarship Program gives taxpayers an up-to-$1,700 credit on their federal income taxes if they contribute up to $1,700 to a “Scholarship-Granting Organization” (SGO) starting in 2027. That’s a dollar-for-dollar credit, and there’s no cap on the number of taxpayers who can use it.
MARCH UPDATE: Unfortunately, the final accountability system draft has been released and discussed at the March ISBE meeting and it looks like it’s a done deal. We are disappointed that we are losing the indicators for ninth-grade on-track and college and career readiness, and that schools with 50-point achievement gaps can still receive the highest […]
