Civic Federation Position Statement on School Vouchers

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.