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Hello!

This is Mila Koumpilova, one of the education reporters at Chalkbeat here in Chicago. I hope you got some rest during an absolutely gorgeous long fall weekend.

Late last week, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul became the second Democratic governor to opt into the Trump administration’s school choice tax credit initiative — despite strong opposition from teachers union officials and others. Opponents have voiced concerns that the program will help divert students and dollars away from public schools. Hochul argued that public school students stand to benefit, including through an influx of resources for tutoring programs.

Here in Illinois, Gov. JB Pritzker is similarly facing pressure to opt into the program — and to sit it out. We’ll have more on that soon.

Local education coverage is disappearing. Chalkbeat helps families and educators understand what’s changing. We can’t do it without you.

Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Rainbow PUSH celebrate Rev. Jesse Jackson’s birthday with youth conference, Chicago Sun-Times

In the age of AI and social media, one west suburban school district goes analog, Chicago Tribune (Paywall)

Four hours and three minutes in Ithaca, The New York Times (Paywall, Opinion)