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Education Desk
The Education Desk is our education blog focusing on key areas of news coverage important to the state and its improvement. Evidence of public policy performance and impact will be reported and analyzed. We encourage you to engage in commenting and discussing the coverage of education from pre-natal to Higher Ed.Dusty Rhodes curates this blog that will provide follow-up to full-length stories, links to other reports of interest, statistics, and conversations with you about the issues and stories.About - Additional Education Coverage00000179-2419-d250-a579-e41d385d0000

Cupich Says Desire For Scholarships Shows Need

Archbishop Blaise Cupich at Inauguration 2015
Brian Mackey/WUIS/NPR Illinois

Chicago Cardinal BlaiseCupich traveled to Springfield today to voice his support of stricter gun laws. But he also addressed Illinois' new school funding reform, and its tax credit program for private school scholarship donors.  

The tax credit program — worth $100 million — was added in the 11th hour to a school funding reform package that had been debated over a period of years. Private school enrollment has been declining, and tax credits became the key to compromise. Cupich was key to making it happen.

However, this program was never publicly debated. Its rollout has been bumpy, with scholarship applicants overwhelming internet capacity of the main scholarship granting organization.

Cupich characterized this desire for scholarships as a sign the program is needed.

"It's very clear that there's a pent-up need there, and there's a growing constituency in favor of this. So I think people need to listen to their constituents about this issue,” he said.

 

Several Democratic candidates for governor have said they will try to end the tax credit program if elected.

 

After a long career in newspapers (Dallas Observer, The Dallas Morning News, Anchorage Daily News, Illinois Times), Dusty returned to school to get a master's degree in multimedia journalism. She began work as Education Desk reporter at NPR Illinois in September 2014.
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