I have seen the reality of the impact of school choice in the lives and stories of the young men who have walked our halls on the South Side of Chicago.
As an administrator at an all-boys Catholic high school, I have learned that every student who enrolls here carries a story that began long before his first day of class. Some arrive confident and prepared. Others arrive carrying gaps in learning, instability at home, or the quiet weight of being told—directly or indirectly—that their options were limited from the start.
I think often about the Illinois Invest in Kids Act Tax Credit Scholarship Program because I watched it open doors to a strong college-preparatory education for families who had almost resigned themselves to limited options. I remember a mother standing in my office, holding her scholarship award letter with a mix of relief and disbelief. For her, it was not simply financial assistance – it was access to a rigorous curriculum, advanced coursework, and an academic environment intentionally designed to prepare her son for college and beyond.
One lesson I have learned over and over is simple: students should not have their fate determined by their ZIP code. Yet too often in Illinois, that’s exactly what happens. A child’s educational path is largely shaped by geography and family income rather than ability, effort, or potential. The income-based eligibility requirements of the Invest in Kids Scholarship ensured that families with the greatest need benefited most. When the program was allowed to sunset, I felt a real sense of loss—not just for our school, but for the families still waiting for doors to open.
The need did not disappear when the funding did. If anything, post-pandemic learning loss has made the gap even more visible. We see it in reading levels, in math readiness, and in the emotional toll students carry when they arrive already behind and unsure of how to catch up.
What makes this issue more difficult to ignore is the contradiction I see so often. Many of the strongest voices against school choice in Illinois are people who, when it comes to their own children, choose private education without hesitation. That reality raises an uncomfortable question: why should opportunity be something reserved for those with the means to purchase it?
And what does it mean when one group of children can access smaller classes, specialized support, and mission-driven environments, while others are limited by circumstance to systems that are still struggling to recover? As someone who works daily with young men who deserve every possible chance to succeed, I cannot accept that divide as permanent.
School choice is not about weakening public education. It is about strengthening education by recognizing that students learn differently and that families know their children best. It is about trusting parents, expanding access, and refusing to accept a system where potential is constrained by a child’s address.
