Kane County Reporter

Aris Garcia, the Republican candidate for State Representative in Illinois’ 49th district, expressed strong criticism against Illinois Democrats for not providing funding to extend the Invest In Kids tax scholarship program.

“It is incomprehensible to me that Illinois Democrats felt the need to take money from low income families,” Garcia said on Facebook. “It is hard to imagine how greedy and corrupt someone has to be to take money from families making less than $12,490/year.”

Garcia’s comments come as the Illinois General Assembly concluded its veto session without allocating funds for the Invest In Kids scholarship program, placing the educational future of 9,600 economically disadvantaged children in jeopardy. The scholarship program faced strong opposition from teachers’ unions. The decision disproportionately affects low-income minority students in failing school districts who relied on the program for access to quality education.

State Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) passionately urged the House to extend the vital scholarship program, emphasizing the urgency of saving scholarships for deserving students. Niemerg expressed frustration with the delay and implored House Speaker Chris Welch to take action. However, despite support from Niemerg and others, Welch, who sends his children to private schools, adjourned the session without calling a bill to extend the program, making Illinois the only state to roll back public funding for school choice, according to Prairie State Wire. Notably, Senate President Don Harmon and Gov. J.B. Pritzker, both sending their children to private schools, have also faced scrutiny for their stance on the issue.

Following the discontinuation of Invest In Kids, Illinois stands alone as the sole state to retract public funding support for school choice drawing criticism from proponents of alternative education according to Wirepoints.

The Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT) celebrated the victory over the decision to terminate this program. IFT President Dan Montgomery expressed strong support for ending Invest In Kids emphasizing prioritizing public education resources towards public schools. 

"We will continue to work with our school communities and lawmakers to advocate for equitable educational policies that uplift every child and strengthen our public education system by fully funding it and opposing any voucher or voucher-like programs in the future," Montgomery said, according to a press release cited by an earlier report from Prairie State Wire.

Garcia is running for the 49th District which is currently represented by State Rep. Maura Hirschauer (D-Batavia). It includes parts of Batavia, West Chicago, South Elgin, Wayne, Bartlett, and portions of Aurora and Geneva, according to Ballotpedia.