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October 10, 2005
Hurricane relief legislation still pendingRelief legislation for schools and students impacted by Hurricane Katrina remains stalled. Though multiple bills have been introduced and proposals floated, nothing has moved very far, and Congress is on recess this week.
One reason for the delay appears to be the issue of private school vouchers. A bi-partisan bill put forward some time ago by Senators Mike Enzi (R-WY) and Ted Kennedy (D-MA) did not include vouchers. However, following the administration's suggestion that taxpayer dollars be sent to private schools in a relief package, the bi-partisan Senate bill has stalled. A new bill that may include vouchers or a similar payment plan to private and religious schools could be introduced when Congress returns next week. Several relief measures that do not include vouchers also have been introduced in the House.
NSBA is on record opposing vouchers as part of any relief legislation. The need to provide assistance to public schools that are educating hundreds of thousands of displaced students should not be derailed by efforts to create the nation's largest, costliest voucher program ever. Some have suggested that this would merely be a one-time aid program to private schools, but voucher advocates who began pushing the controversial approach shortly after the hurricane seem to have different motivations.
New efforts to divert potentially hundreds of millions in tax dollars to private schools is the wrong move, especially as recent Congressional action clearly points to a brewing battle over long-term funding cuts for public schools and programs for low-income students.
For more details on NSBA's views on relief efforts and our own recommendations, first put forward Sept. 2, go here.
Posted October 10, 2005 2:36 PM | Hurricane Relief Efforts
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