Civic Federation Position Statement on School Vouchers

June 17, 2010

Civic Federation Position Statement on School Vouchers
June 17, 2010

The Civic Federation supports the use of vouchers to provide students in low-performing public schools with the opportunity to attend private schools. We view charter schools and a voucher system as important initiatives for public education because they provide school choice for parents and students and bring innovation to the state’s education system.

The Civic Federation believes that a voucher system would be an affordable way to improve the educational opportunities for students who would otherwise attend failing public schools. Senator James Meeks’ proposal to introduce a voucher system in the lowest-performing Chicago Public Schools would be a logical way to test vouchers in the State of Illinois in an effort to drive change in the public school system.

The Civic Federation supports a voucher program that would be revenue neutral or provide savings to taxpayers, would be limited to the lowest-performing public schools during an initial trial period, and would be subject to a detailed review and evaluation within five years of implementation.