March, 2026 Primary Ballot Advisory Referendum Info

The "Illinois student scholarship ballot question" in the March 2026 primary asks if voters want Illinois to join a federal tax-credit scholarship program, allowing private donations for K-12 tuition, books, tutoring, etc., for public, private, and homeschool students.  This advisory vote only appears in some counties (around one-third, including McHenry County) and aims to gauge support for opting into the federal Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA).

Although we haven't seen the exact wording yet, it should look something like this:

Should Illinois opt into a federal program that would provide public K-12, private school, and homeschool students with privately-donated funds for academic needs, such as tutoring and test preparation, educational therapies for students with disabilities, tuition, books, exam fees, or for other specified academic needs?

This program was created as part of the “One Big Ugly Bill,” creating a federal voucher program in the form of a tax credit scholarship program. Each state can choose to opt in or opt out of the voucher program. Illinois has not opted in as of yet. Counties around the state have chosen to place this referendum on the ballot, including our county. It is only on the ballot in about 1/3 of the counties. In some counties, such as Cook and Lake, it appears in only a few townships. The program will start in 2027.

Who can use these vouchers?  Any child whose family makes less than 300% of their area’s median income. In the Chicago metro area, the limit would be just under $360,000/year for a family of four! This is not money going to low-income families. About 90% of US children will qualify.

How's it work?  Taxpayers would contribute to a third-party scholarship-granting organization (SGO). The SGO then pays the private school costs for students who have applied to them for “scholarships,” aka vouchers. Taxpayers then receive a credit on their income tax bill for their contribution. It's a one-to-one tax credit off their federal income tax bill up to $1,700.  There is no information about who sits on the SGO and reviews the scholarship applications or makes the decisions on how to distribute the money.

This funding stream is not the same as using voluntary, private charitable contributions to pay for scholarships. The tax credit of up to $1,700 is much more generous than the tax deduction for donating to any other type of non-profit, which is usually around 30%

Why use SGOs to distribute vouchers instead of a government agency? Most private schools are religious organizations. By creating a legal middleman, voucher supporters attempt to cover up the use of tax dollars for religious purposes.

Every tax dollar diverted to private and religious schools is a dollar that can’t be used to increase public school funding. Illinois’ public schools are currently underfunded by more than $3 billion. The majority of schools in our state are still not adequately funded under the state’s own funding formula. The federal government is likely to further cut funds for K-12 education in the coming year. The US House recently voted to cut Title I funds for schools serving low-income students by more than 25%.

If voucher dollars follow students, isn't this budget-neutral for public schools? No, public schools have high fixed costs, but federal and state funding is tied to student enrollment.  If students leave public school, public schools lose funding, and because their fixed costs can’t change as quickly as their variable costs, that means a loss to public school budgets. That extra loss to our public schools in Illinois—if even just 5% of current public school students left and started using a voucher to attend private school—could be $1 billion or more, according to the Economic Policy Institute.

Why is using tax dollars to fund private schools a bad idea?  Private schools can discriminate - they do not need to take every student that applies, and federal and state anti-discrimination laws do not protect students in religious schools. On the other hand, public schools are responsible for educating all students, including those who need extra resources and support, e.g., students learning English, students with disabilities, and students from low-income households.

Unfortunately, if Illinois does not opt in, Illinois taxpayers can still take the tax credit, but Illinois students will not receive the scholarships; students in other states will get the money. Another reason to vote for Democratic Congressional candidates!  Let's repeal this giveaway to wealthy taxpayers to fund private schools.

We believe parents should have the choice to send their children to private schools.  However, we also think taxpayers should not be subsidizing private, religious schools. Let's instead fund public schools adequately, so they can provide the excellent education our kids deserve.

Don't be fooled. As we know, there are a lot of bad ideas in the Big Ugly Bill, and this is one of those. Get the information and make a wise choice for the school children of Illinois.

We thank Illinois Families fo Public Schools for this breakdown of the advisory referendum.  The above was taken from their information sheet, which you can download here.