Illinois Valley Times

In a social media post this week, State Sen. Andrew Chesney (R-Freeport) spotlighted the Invest in Kids Act that provides tax credits to individuals making donations to organizations offering scholarships.

In a post on Facebook, Chesney shared a link to his statement on the Invest in Kids Act, also known as Public Act 100-0465, according to Illinois.gov.

"Invest in Kids provides funds that allow lower-income students in underperforming schools to improve their chances for academic success by moving to a different school,” Chesney said in the statement. “Since scholarships began being distributed in 2018, nearly every legislator has heard numerous success stories about how the program changed the life of a child for the better.”

According to Illinois.gov, the Invest in Kids Act provides tax credits to individuals who donate to organizations that grant scholarships to eligible Illinois students to study at non-public schools statewide. The website also noted that taxpayers can receive a tax cred of up to 75% for their contribution.

Chalkbeat Chicago reported the scholarships are geared toward students from low-income families, and to be eligible, they must come from a household earning less than 300% of the federal poverty level, approximately $90,000 for a family of four this year.

Moreover, Chalkbeat Chicago noted that once a student receives a scholarship, the family’s income cannot surpass 400% of the federal poverty level, approximately $120,000 for a family of four.

The website, citing the state’s report, indicated that, during 2021-2022, of the students receiving scholarships to attend private schools, 17.8% were Black and 29.7% were Latino.

According to his website, since 2018 Chesney has represented the 89th District, and has served on Freeport City Council and served on the board of the Regional Access Mobilization Project, which offers support services and advocacy for disabled individuals. He also served as a mentor with Big Brothers/Big Sisters.