Are you a member
of Team ICNS? If not, the time to join is now. Whether
you are a school leader, Board member, parent,
grandparent, alumni, or even a student of a private
school in Illinois – it will take all of us to regain
the local control of our schools. We’ve witnessed more
state involvement in recent years than ever before, and
it’s time to unite our efforts. Please take a few
minutes to watch this video and then be sure to register
your school with ICNS.
Our influence in Springfield is
growing weaker, and it’s largely because our movement is
not mobilized. We represent hundreds of communities and
thousands of places of worship across our state, and 1
out of every 9 students in Illinois attends a private
school. That’s a lot of voters! If we can coordinate our
efforts and lock arms in our approach, Springfield will
have to listen. We can have influence…we can have a seat
at the table…and we can make a difference. But we can
only achieve this together.
The impact of ICNS just in
the last two years:
-
ICNS advocates to ensure and protect
the right of nonpublic schools to convene in-person
learning during the pandemic while following COVID
safety guidelines.
-
ICNS continues its advocacy efforts
for the equitable rights of nonpublic students regarding
all CARES Act Funding (ESSERF, GEER, EANS, ARP).
-
ICNS
informs its constituent nonpublic schools of information
regarding how to apply for and receive federal and state
funding, especially as new funding sources arise.
-
ICNS
continues to support, protect, and improve the $100
million Invest in Kids Act which provides a Scholarship
Tax Credit to parents of low and middle income students.
This allows students to attend the school of their
choice.
-
ICNS has been involved in
the ISBE School Recognition Program since its
inception. ICNS advocates for nonpublic schools to
meet annually with the ISBE Nonpublic Recognition
Team to inform its schools of new requirements and
to dialogue with the State on the effect of these
requirements on nonpublic schools.
Please make ICNS membership a priority for your school.
Of course there are plenty of differences even among our
private schools, but we still have a lot in common. As
private schools, we partner with the home! We respect
and appreciate parental input and even view it as vital
for the most successful outcomes in our schools. We
actually thrive by working together in an era where
parents are being pushed farther and farther away from
their child’s education in too many schools.
In addition
to membership fees, we rely heavily on donations to fund
our cause. We need your help! If you are able and
willing to support our cause,
please make
your donation here. As a 501c3 organization, all
contributions are tax deductible.
Thank you for joining
the Coalition – Team ICNS!