Posted on 06/28/2002 11:29:05 AM PDT by kattracks
(CNSNews.com) - Capitalizing on Thursday's Supreme Court decision in favor of school vouchers, House Republican Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas) introduced legislation to provide education scholarships to disadvantaged children in the nation's capital.
"The Supreme Court has spoken on education choice," Armey said. "Now it's time for Congress to do its part on behalf of low-income parents that simply want a better education for their children. Needy children in the District and across the country have waited long enough."
The bill would provide families with incomes below the poverty line, scholarships of up to $5,000. Students with family incomes up to 185 percent of the poverty level, which Armey says is at $33,226, may receive up to $3,750 in tuition assistance.
At least 8,300 tuition scholarships will be awarded to needy families during the first five years after the legislation is enacted.
No money would be taken from the D.C. school budget.
Armey attempted a similar move in 1997 when he introduced a bill to expand school choice in D.C., but President Clinton vetoed it.
D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams' office referred calls to the district's public schools office, which did not return several phone calls seeking comment.
The American Federation of Teachers did not return calls seeking comment.
The NEA was not very enthusiastic about Armey's legislation.
"We still think vouchers are a bad idea. There's no evidence that students do better with vouchers compared to other public school students. In places where vouchers have come about like Milwaukee, Cleveland and Florida, there is serious accountability problems with the quality of some of those schools," said NEA spokesman Michael Pons.
"We would like to see school officials and the federal government concentrate on authentic research-tested education reform like reducing class size and addressing teacher quality issues. That's what parents want, that's what teachers want, that's what (NEA) research says works," he said.
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It was really quite remarkable. It gave the term "union stooge" a whole new dimension.
OK, ,maybe we will have to let a public school or two remain for the adults so doped up they can't make a choice.
Quite seriously, D.C. would be an ideal test site for a full scale, citywide voucher program. The District is small and self-contained (in the sense that you wouldn't have to worry about statewide complications, monetary or otherwise, as you would in any other jurisdiction.) It is, in the final analysis, totally federally controlled, so Congress could do whatever it wanted. It is geographically small enough that no one who objected strongly would have to move more than three miles to escape. We are spending over $12,000 per student, so there's plenty of money in the kitty to play with. And the public schools are so bad that it would be impossible to do any harm.
Mega dittos. And if we really push it, we might get more than 8 percent of the black vote.
Well I was very much for school vouchers but this isn't what I had envisioned at all.
This is just another entitlement program that those of who foot the bill won't be participating in. I don't buy that this is just a "testing ground." The poor will be going to the good schools while those of us in the midle class will still be stuck with the wastelands of the public indoctrination centers. There will be some excuse why they can't get this to go to the entire population. The funds won't be there or somehow it will be wrong that middle class children participate- it'll be a class issue, or a race issue.
But I am sure we will be taught to feel good about how stupid, um, I mean generous we are!!
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