IL RNHA Releases Statement Supporting Passage of the School Choice Act

Education is the silver bullet. Education is everything. And Illinois has tried every bureaucratic avenue available to it, spent far and away more money on our students in our public schools than ever before; yet, our performance rates are suffering, our teen recidivism rates are rising, and our citizens are left wondering, "Don't our kids deserve better?"

Our kids do deserve better. And Illinois Senators have been working to deliver. First with SB 2494, which was killed last year in the Illinois House of Representatives, and now with SB 1932, Illinois students and parents that are sick and tired of failing schools and burdensome bureaucracy, will finally have a chance to exercise their choice in pursuing the most important component of our social compact - education.

SB 1932 offers real options for students in to escape failing schools through school vouchers. The bill, introduced by Republican State Senator Matt Murphy, is co-sponsored by many others including Democrat State Senator James Meeks, who believes that students in failing schools should have every opportunity to achieve a quality education.

The RNHA of IL supports passage of this legislation by the State Senate, and swift passage by the House. We also call upon the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus to publicly endorse this legislation or enter into a public debate with our organization on its merits for Latinos in IL. Now is not the time to play politics with the hope we have for our children and our children's children. Now is the time to make a difference that gives Illinois families the chance to change the course of their children's lives for the better, forever. Now is the time to act. Now is the time to vote for SB1932.

***Statement written by John Guevara, Vice-President RNHA IL