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November 2, 2005

Pressure builds on U.S. Senate to knock down vouchers

In a strongly worded statement issued today to the U.S. Senate, NSBA Executive Director Anne Bryant indicated that the hurricane relief amendment has become a vehicle for creating potentially the largest, costliest private school voucher program in U.S. history. The amendment is part of the budget reconciliation bill.

The "vote comes on the heels of the Senate's passage of the education appropriations bill last week that included barely noticeable increases for critical public school programs such as Title I and IDEA that help millions of children nationwide. It would also occur at a time when Congress, through the budget reconciliation process, may well set the stage for several years of lower funding for public schools nationwide.

"The National School Boards Association understands and applauds the desire of lawmakers to help schools that have enrolled students displaced by the hurricanes. Public schools around the nation, but especially in the Gulf Coast, have needed that help for several weeks. Congress can help our schools and avoid creating a new bureaucracy to funnel federal tax dollars to private schools. Lawmakers can help private schools by following the existing Title I 'equitable participation' model that authorizes school districts to provide private schools with educational services, but does not transfer dollars to the private schools. This model has worked for 40 years, does not require the creation of a new bureaucracy, does not establish a national voucher program, and maintains the public accountability that vouchers lack."

Will the Senate listen to logic? Stay tuned here.

Posted November 2, 2005 4:43 PM

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