The hypocrisy of teachers unions knows no bounds, and nowhere is it more glaring than in Illinois right now. The Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT) and the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) are desperately pleading with Governor J.B. Pritzker not to opt into President Trump's new federal tax credit scholarship program.
This move is a brazen attempt by union bosses to protect their monopoly while denying low-income families the very choices they exercise for their own kids.
Take Stacy Davis Gates, the president of the CTU and the IFT. Just a few years ago, she publicly decried school choice as "racist." Yet, it turns out she's sending her own son to a private Catholic school.
That's right – the same union leader who fights tooth and nail against giving other parents the freedom to choose is quietly opting out of the public system for her family. If school choice is so "racist," why is she embracing it for her child? This hypocrisy betrays the families she claims to represent, many of whom are trapped in underperforming schools with no escape hatch.
The unions' latest panic stems from President Trump's innovative federal tax credit scholarship program, which allows individuals and businesses to donate to scholarship funds and receive a dollar-for-dollar tax credit up to $1,700.
It's a win-win: donors get a tax break when they contribute to organizations like ACE Scholarships, and kids get access to better schools without siphoning a single penny from public education funding. Anyone can donate and claim the credit, but families in a state can only benefit if their governor opts in.
So far, 27 governors have jumped on board, including one Democrat – Colorado's Jared Polis. As Polis told The Colorado Sun, it's a "no-brainer" decision because it brings in additional private donations to boost education options without touching public school budgets.
He even said he'd "be crazy not to" opt in. He's spot on. This program is about expanding opportunities, not defunding anything.
But the IFT isn't having it. They signed onto a coalition letter begging Governor Pritzker to sit this one out, framing the program as some sinister plot. The CTU piled on with their own letter opposing the federal tax credit scholarship, calling it a "scheme" that undermines public education. Scheme? Please. These unions have zero credibility on financial matters, especially after the bombshell revelations about their own shady practices.
Just look at the CTU's financial fiasco. Investigative journalist Austin Berg recently exposed that the union failed at least two of their required financial audits. The Liberty Justice Center represented CTU members and sued the union for not providing these required financial audits. The Wall Street Journal's editorial board jumped on the story, highlighting the union's incompetence or worse. Now, Congress is investigating the CTU for failing to provide those audits five years in a row.
President Stacy Davis Gates had the audacity to tell an Illinois court that the audits weren't ready because of COVID disruptions. But hold on – on the union's LM-2 reports to the Department of Labor and their 990 forms to the IRS, she claimed those very same audits had been completed each year.
You can't have it both ways. Either she lied to the court, or she lied to the federal government. This sloppiness could amount to criminal activity. These "frauds," as their own actions suggest, have no room to lecture anyone about "schemes."
Governor Pritzker now faces a pivotal choice, and the unions are sweating because he can make it unilaterally – no need for approval from the Democrat-controlled House and Senate. Back in 2022, during his campaign, Pritzker responded to a candidate survey from a local news outlet affirming his support for Illinois's existing private school choice program, which was also a tax credit scholarship.
He even told the Chicago Tribune he'd sign a bill to save it if it reached his desk. But when push came to shove, the legislature didn't lift a finger to protect that program, letting it expire amid union pressure.
Now, with Trump's program, Pritzker has a chance to follow through on his words without relying on lawmakers. It's an easy lift that could resonate nationally, especially if he harbors ambitions for higher office. School choice is wildly popular across party lines – polls show majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and independents support it. Opting in would let Pritzker stand out as a pragmatic leader willing to put kids first, even if it means bucking the union bosses who helped fund his campaigns.
The truth is, these unions aren't fighting for students; they're fighting to maintain control. They oppose choice for everyone else while quietly choosing for themselves. Stacy Davis Gates' decision to send her son to private school isn't an isolated incident – it's part of a pattern among union elites who preach one thing and do another.
Meanwhile, families in Chicago and across Illinois are stuck in failing schools, with graduation rates lagging and test scores plummeting. Trump's program could change that by unlocking private donations to fund scholarships for kids who need them most.
Governor Pritzker shouldn't cave to the hypocrites. He would be wise to follow Jared Polis's lead and opt in. It's a no-brainer that puts power back in parents' hands, where it belongs. Illinois families deserve the same choices that union presidents give their own kids. Anything less is more of the same failed status quo.
