Yesterday, I was in Springfield with the Illinois Policy Institute and about 25 other citizen Liberty Leaders to advocate for a balanced budget without a tax hike (Illinois Policy Institute’s Budget Solutions 2011) and in support of SB 2494, a education reform bill that would give about 30,000 kids in the 10% worst performing and 5% most overcrowded K-8 Chicago Public Schools the opportunity to use a $3,700 voucher to attend a private or parochial school of their choice.

Sadly, the measure, which previously passed the Senate by a large margin did not pass the Illinois House when voted upon yesterday.

The Capitol Fax Blog website filmed the voting process on this bill and caught a number of representatives flip flopping on their votes in a matter of a few seconds. Representative Paul Froehlich (D-Schaumburg) was one of the flip floppers on this bill and changed his mind on giving 30,000 kids the opportunity to escape some of the worst schools in the entire country and have an opportunity at a quality education.

The Vote is captured in the video below.

00:21 The acting speaker opens the voting
00:23 Froehlich votes “yes”
00:30 Froehlich flips votes to “no”

Words cannot begin to explain how badly I feel for the 30,000 kids in Chicago that once again will be denied the opportunity for a quality education next school year. I can’t even begin to speculate as to why, in a matter of seven seconds, Rep. Froehlich changed his vote on such an important issue.

I am a strong supporter of school choice especially when it comes to giving kids options to escape some of the worst public schools in the entire country. Here are four reasons to support the SB 2494 voucher program, given by Collin Hitt of the Illinois Policy Institute, that I find most persuasive:

• This program will come at no additional cost to taxpayers.
• The maximum voucher will not exceed the amount of per pupil state aid received by CPS. At just under $4,000, the voucher will cover costs at most private schools in Chicago.
• Students in failing schools will receive vouchers. Vouchers will be offered to students who attend the 48 schools that make up the lowest-performing 10 percent of CPS elementary schools; 37 of these 48 schools have been under state or federal sanctions for 9 consecutive years or more.
• Educational vouchers are a proven method to improve public school performance. Eighteen of nineteen studies conducted where school voucher programs have been created find significant improvement in public school performance, suggesting that competition works even for the kids who don’t get vouchers.

Rumors had it that House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, was supposed to put 30 votes on the bill and House Minority Leader Tom Cross, R-Oswego, was supposed to get 30 of his members to vote “yes” which would mean the vote would pass with the minimum of 60 votes. Early in the afternoon I received reports that the pre-vote count was at 29 and 29 in favor of the bill from both parties with a number of undecided legislators from each party. We were pretty optimistic that the most comprehensive educational choice reform bill to ever be voted on in Illinois would pass.

Before the vote, I got the opportunity to meet with my Representative, Fred Crespo of Streamwood, also a Democrat. I live in one of the two Schaumburg precincts in Hanover Township that fall in Rep. Crespo’s district.

The conversation with Rep. Crespo was very cordial and he was gracious to take time out of his day to talk to me, but it was clear that we didn’t see eye-to-eye on giving children, who go to some of the worst schools in the entire country, educational choices through vouchers.

Rep. Crespo had a number of contentions about the bill and I will address each one below:

Rep. Crespo was concerned that $3,700 wouldn’t be enough to cover the tuition cost at some private and parochial schools in Chicago.
Many, if not most of Chicago’s K-8 private and parochial schools have tuition rates under the $3,700 voucher amount. Even if they did not, parents who previously received $0 would be $3,700 closer to giving their kids additional opportunities for a quality education. Many private and parochial schools offer reduced tuition rates for those who cannot afford the full tuition rates.

Rep. Crespo was concerned that the bill would become permanent and it wasn’t a pilot program.
It is a pilot program that had a 2014 date attached to it for review of its performance based on standardized state testing applied to all students. Even the Illinois Education Association Teachers Union (who vehemently opposed the bill) stated repeatedly that this was a pilot program.

Rep. Crespo was concerned the bill wasn’t focused enough on improving the public schools.
I can understand this motivation but the research shows that vouchers help improve the surrounding public schools as well. Most likely this is because it increases competition for funding and relieves overcrowding pressures on schools. 18 out of 19 studies of voucher programs showed that public schools performance improved alongside the voucher programs.

In talking to Rep. Crespo, it was interesting to find out that he himself went to a parochial school as a kid and sent his kids to St. Huberts in Hoffman Estates. If Rep. Crespo sees the value of parochial school education for himself and his family why doesn’t he believe that others should have access to the same type of quality education? Poverty stricken kids in inner-city Chicago don’t have the financial resources to attend private or parochial schools without assistance from the government. This bill would have changed that.

One thing is for sure. These public schools that could have been affected by this bill can’t get much worse.

A special thanks to Rep. Bassi (R-Palatine) for her passionate plea in support of this bill.

And Rep. Joyce (D-Chicago) for his closing speech in support of voucher, which Rich Miller from the Capitol Fax Blog called it “one of the strongest closing speeches I’ve seen in 20 years.”

Also, local legislator Rep. Randy Ramey (R-Carol Stream) voted no on this bill. Full vote record here.

The Capitol Fax Blog reported that the bill is likely to be revisited in November.

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