Illinois' new school funding plan includes a controversial one-hundred-million-dollar tax-credit program to provide private school scholarships. The date to reserve those credits is fast approaching.
If you don't have an alarm set for January 2nd at 8 a.m., well, you're obviously not one of the people planning to donate up to 1.3 million dollars to the private school of your choice.
"There are, you know, a lot of people who are definitely getting ready for by the second, to be able to be in line for the tax credits."
The money has to go through one of the five Scholarship Granting Organizations authorized by the state. Myles Mendoza directs the largest one, Empower Illinois.
"There were a lot of parties that were being planned for midnight on January 2nd and those plans have all changed because of the new 8 a.m. start time."
Not everyone will be celebrating. Dan Montgomery, president of the Illinois Federation of Teachers, says the plan is part of a Republican-led effort to destabilize public education.
