The article by Ralph Martire on Invest in Kids has two serious flaws. First, it is more general philosophy, rather than what is the best policy for Illinois today. Second, it fails to deal with some critical facts.
While Martire suggests that this program is diverting funds from the public school system to the private school system, in reality, almost exactly the opposite is true. Parents who send their children to private schools pay all the taxes that support the public school system, just as the parents who send their kids to public schools do but, in addition, pay additional monies to help fund the private school system.
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From the standpoint of cost per pupil, Catholic schools educate a student for a cost of about $8,000 per student, whereas the cost for public schools in Illinois is about $16,000 per student, or twice as much as the Archdiocesan schools, The cost of the tax credit for a child attending a Catholic school would be 75% of the $8,000, or about $6,000 per student. If existing Catholic school students who are receiving the scholarship were unable to afford the Catholic school tuition upon sunset, and thus redirected into the public school system, this would create an additional financial burden on the public school system without any new tax revenues to support it.
Martire also suggests that public schools outperform private schools. While this may be true elsewhere, it is not true in Chicago. With respect to the Archdiocesan schools, 72% of students tested are at or above grade level in English and Language Arts and 63% in math. Respective figures for public school students statewide appear to be 30.1% at or above grade level in ELA and 25.5% for math.
There is also a suggestion that minority children don’t benefit from Invest in Kids. Again, nothing could be farther from the truth. In the Archdiocesan school system, 59% of children are Caucasian and 41% are minority. With respect to scholarships, however, 84% of the awards are made to minority families. Clearly, it is not only possible for the program to serve minority students, but the Archdiocese of Chicago is doing it at scale.
I grew up in Englewood and direct my $5,000 annual contribution to Saint Benedict the African, where students are minority and only 2% are Catholic. Much of the funds directed to the Archdiocese goes to minority, non-Catholic students.
It makes both economic and educational sense to continue the Invest in Kids program.
Charles W Murdock, professor and former dean, Loyola University Chicago School of Law
Former deputy attorney general of Illinois
Hospitals in underserved communities deserve adequate funding
As a proud resident of the City of Harvey, I strive to advocate for my community, especially when it comes to health care access and affordability. I know that our elected leaders in Washington are committed to improving the health and wellness of their constituents, particularly in underserved communities. However, recent proposals being considered by Congress could have devastating impacts on patients’ access to care.
Some in Washington are pushing to reimburse hospital outpatient departments at the same rate as free-standing physician offices, which would hinder their ability to treat vulnerable and low-income patients.
As it stands, hospitals are already facing rising inflationary costs and workforce shortages as well as threats to valuable programs like the 340B Program, which requires pharmaceutical companies to offer discounted medications to hospitals taking care of vulnerable patients. This would make it harder for patients to access life-saving drugs and health facilities.
We need our leaders in Washington, including Rep. Robin Kelly, to protect health care access for underserved populations by ensuring health care providers remain well-funded.
Anthony McCaskill, chairman, South Suburban Region Black Chamber