Defeated: Senators vote down the continuation of the D.C. school voucher program

WORLD ^ | March 17, 2010 | Emily Belz

[rhema]

On Capitol Hill, all eyes have been focused on the House, as efforts to pass healthcare reform have grown increasingly dramatic. But a less-watched debate began in the Senate Tuesday, which offered a second chance for the Washington, D.C. private school voucher program that Congress phased out last year. The effort, however, was quickly squashed by a vote Tuesday night, with most Democrats voting against it along with Republican Olympia Snowe of Maine.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid promised in January that he would allow debate about the program on the Senate floor. And on Tuesday, the Senate began considering a bill reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration, which included an amendment by Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., to reinstate vouchers for district schoolchildren.

The amendment was defeated 42-55, mostly along party lines. Lieberman’s amendment would have reopened the program to new students and raised the scholarship awards to low-income parents from $7,500 to $9,000 for elementary students and up to $11,000 for high schoolers. These numbers are still lower than what D.C. Public Schools spend per student each year.

Sens. Robert Byrd (D-WVa.), John Ensign (R-Nev.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), George Voinovich (R-Ohio), and Susan Collins (R-Maine) had signed onto the amendment as co-sponsors.

Feinstein and Bill Nelson of Florida were the only Senate Democrats to join Lieberman in voting for the amendment (Byrd was absent). “What is everybody scared of? Why not reauthorize it?” said Feinstein from the floor Tuesday, citing the positive achievement reports on the program.

“It’s been very rare when I’ve been involved in a debate in the Senate on a matter, where I haven’t felt there were some respectable good arguments on the other side,” Lieberman said from the floor. “But I must say on this one, I can’t think of a single good reason to be opposed to this amendment.”

Though the majority of the chamber voted against the program, only one senator rose to speak against the vouchers from the floor, Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D. Several in the Democratic caucus, like Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., have voiced their opposition in the past.

The Secular Coalition for America, a longtime opponent of school vouchers, sent an “action alert” to its constituents, requesting that they call their senators to oppose the amendment. “By continuing this program, those of us who do not wish to subsidize someone else’s church will continue to be forced to do so through our federal tax dollars,” the alert noted, adding that vouchers are designed to “aid struggling Christian schools” and force students “to attend religious schools or remain in the failing public school system.”

A 2002 Supreme Court decision, however, found that voucher programs are constitutional as long as they do not impose or influence school choices for parents.

The National Education Association, representing teachers’ labor unions, also opposes the program.

Congress closed the program to new students last year, cutting enrollment from about 1,700 students to approximately 1,300 students. And voucher advocates are not optimistic that Congress will renew funding for a dying program over the next couple of years to support students that are still attending voucher schools. The D.C. government has not yet moved to fund the program locally, insisting that it is already dealing with serious budget shortfalls.

Meanwhile, President Obama sent Congress his blueprint to reform President Bush’s major education initiation, No Child Left Behind. Broadly speaking, the administration plans to focus less on annual testing scores and more on raising graduation rates.

“Through this plan we are setting an ambitious goal: All students should graduate from high school prepared for college and a career—no matter who you are or where you come from,” the president said over the weekend. He emphasized that priority last week by donating $750,000 of his $1.4 million Nobel Peace Prize award to nonprofit groups promoting higher education and scholarship funds.

[rhema]

So let's do the media's job and get the word out.

NEA contributions to advocacy groups

NEA membership numbers don't add up

AFT contributions to advocacy groups

[francky]

No wonder they get a D-

Major Policy Weaknesses:
• Awards tenure virtually automatically
• Fails to make evidence of student learning the preponderant criterion in teacher evaluations
• Lacks an efficient termination process for ineffective teachers
• Does not ensure that elementary teachers are well prepared to teach reading or mathematics

[AliVeritas]

ping

Waiting to hear from Jesse, Al, the NAACP and the usual suspects.

Nevermind.

[rhema]

In my teaching days, I bailed out of the NEA and joined The Association of American Educators. No longer teaching, I still retain my AAE membership to get their excellent newsletter, Education Matters.

[rhema]

P.S. to my post #21 about NEA (and AFT) contributions to advocacy groups:

Here is an alphabetic list of the 164 recipients of NEA's contributions, with relevant web links. All of these were paid for with members' dues money (the union's federal PAC is a separate entity funded through voluntary means).

[Brad from Tennessee]

Thanks for links.

[Ol' Sparky]

Politicians can’t sink lower than to end a program that was saving taxpayers money and better educating kids.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

Slightly off subject.

I am in a career that requires me, at times, to search for missing children, respond to alarms, and investigate crimes.

I work for a large municipality in WA state.

I was investigating an 11 year old girl who did not come home after a public school event and was going through her classroom trying to find her best friend’s full name so we could attempt to get a phone number and address for that family.

On the teacher’s desk was an assignment journal that had an assignment’s written description.

This assignment was about a movie the class had watched about “families.”

On the first line it had written, “to be done in classroom/not to be taken home.”

It then had a list of questions that the students should answer about the movie, which would be written out.

The assignments had been turned in and were stacked under the journal page.

One of the questions was “what are some of the types of families depicted in the movie?”

There were about 5 or 6 acceptable answers written on the journal page. One of them was “two dads.”

The kids then had to explain why each type of family ended up like that....”dad died so their is only mom” or “daddy is gay and loves a man.”

I just shook my head and patted myself on the back for sending my kids to Catholic school.

Not only is this stuff going on, but the school is purposefully hiding it from the parent(s) by keeping the work “in house” so the few parents that look at their kid’s homework won’t see it.

This one reason why school vouchers work so wonderfully. If you don’t like your kids being taught about certain things, shop your dollars somewhere else.

[rhema]

. . .There were about 5 or 6 acceptable answers written on the journal page. One of them was “two dads.”

The kids then had to explain why each type of family ended up like that....”dad died so their is only mom” or “daddy is gay and loves a man.”

I just shook my head and patted myself on the back for sending my kids to Catholic school.

Not only is this stuff going on, but the school is purposefully hiding it from the parent(s) by keeping the work “in house” so the few parents that look at their kid’s homework won’t see it.

This one reason why school vouchers work so wonderfully. If you don’t like your kids being taught about certain things, shop your dollars somewhere else.

And this book was in the school's library, no doubt:

[parisa]

The Secular Coalition for America, a longtime opponent of school vouchers, sent an “action alert” to its constituents, requesting that they call their senators to oppose the amendment. “By continuing this program, those of us who do not wish to subsidize someone else’s church will continue to be forced to do so through our federal tax dollars,” the alert noted,

Yet we have no problem with forcing religious folks with deep convictions about protecting life in the womb to pay for our abortions through government enforced taxation!

He emphasized that priority last week by donating $750,000 of his $1.4 million Nobel Peace Prize award to nonprofit groups promoting higher education and scholarship funds.

I bet that's the largest amount he has ever given away freely to any cause! ......Oh OH I forgot the year he started his campaign for presidency he and michelle finally opened up their wallets for charities!

[windcliff]

ping

[onedoug]

I still can’t believe that Congress even did this just for DC kids but no one else.

Oh. And scientologists too? Do they get to keep theirs?

[1010RD]

This administrations goal is “raising graduation rates”.

OK, you’re all graduated. No it’s not a McDonald’s coupon it is a diploma. I’ll read it for you.

Achievement in Obama’s America.

[windcliff]

Ssshhh. Don’t mention the scientologist. They sue.

[Jimmy Valentine]

Washington, D.C.

Highest infant mortality rate in the U.S.

Highest HIV/AIDS infection rate in the U.S.

Second or Third every year in Murders

Second or third (last) in academic achievement in the U.S.

If the capital of the U.S.were moved to Kansas (as it should be) Washington would look just like Detroit in three years.

Washington, D.C. is a tidepool of failed socialist experiments. Doesn't matter if you have the money to opt out.

[Balding_Eagle]

The effort, however, was quickly squashed

Shouldn't that be quashed?

Well, OK, that really should be passed.

[rhema]

Considering the Democrats' obeisant fealty to the teachers' unions, I was thinking squished.

[Balding_Eagle]

LOL, yeah, you’re probably right.

[cornelis]

The National Education Association, representing teachers’ labor unions, also opposes the program.

There's your reason, Joe.

[quesney]

The Secular Coalition for America, a longtime opponent of school vouchers, sent an “action alert” to its constituents, requesting that they call their senators to oppose the amendment. “By continuing this program, those of us who do not wish to subsidize someone else’s church will continue to be forced to do so through our federal tax dollars.”

---

No doubt the same kind of people who’d have Christians support federal funding of abortion.