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D.C.
School Children Take Back Seat to Politics
(4)
by Senator John Ensign
Posted at
Human
Events Online
March 18, 2009
For years, Republicans
in Congress have supported increased local control of education,
while advocating for expanded options that allow parents to choose
the best educational environment for their child. In 2004, the
Republican-controlled Congress focused on the educational challenges
in the District of Columbia to assist low income students who were
trapped in low performing schools and to prove that expanded school
choice would lead to academic success.
But only last week, Democrats ended the successful D.C. school
voucher system in an action applauded by the White House.
Every year, the District of Columbia spends more than $15,000 to
educate a single student in the public school system. Since that is
more than $5,000 above the national average, you would expect to see
outstanding results. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Recent
data show that 69% of 4th graders in D.C. public schools are reading
below basic levels. Students in D.C. Public Schools ranked last in
the Nation in both SAT and ACT scores. About 42 percent of D.C.
students drop out of school.
As a result of statistics like this, Congress wisely decided to
provide families trapped in D.C.’s broken educational system with
the option of transferring their children to a better performing
private school. Today, more than 1,700 low income students are
taking advantage of that opportunity through the D.C. Opportunity
Scholarship Program.
Despite the fact that 45% of Senators and 37% of the members in the
House of Representatives choose to send their children to private
schools (almost four times the rate of the general population), the
Democrats in the United States Senate put politics before the
well-being of D.C. students and failed to approve my amendment that
would allow D.C. students to continue to attend private schools.
I respect the decision of Member of Congress, and President Obama,
to send their children to a private school, but why should the
choice to send children to private schools be the right of only a
privileged senator's family or those who make a lot of money? Why
should families with an average income under $23,000 per year, like
those currently participating in the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship
Program, be denied that option?
Recently, prominent local and national Democrat officials split with
Hill Democrats on this issue and have come out publicly on the need
to continue the program in D.C. schools.
President Obama, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, D.C. Mayor
Adrian Fenty and D.C. Chancellor of Public Schools Michelle Rhee all
agree that students currently enrolled in private schools through
the Opportunity Scholarship Program should be able to complete their
education at those schools.
Robert Gibbs, President Obama’s spokesman, said last week that
President Obama will not allow the DC school choice program to
expire as the 2009 Appropriations bill directs it to and promised to
work with Congress to ensure that the “disruption doesn’t take
place.”
Arne Duncan, President Obama’s Education Secretary recently said: "I
don't think it makes sense to take kids out of a school where
they're happy and safe and satisfied and learning," Duncan told
said. "I think those kids need to stay in their school."
And the Washington Times recently splashed the headline “Fenty
pushes for school vouchers,” across their front page in a story
detailing D.C. Mayor Fenty’s split with Democrats on the Hill as
they worked to kill the program.
In fact, Chancellor Rhee even went so far as to say, “I would never,
as long as I am in this role, do anything to limit another parent's
ability to make a choice for their child. Ever." Clearly, local
officials who work with these children every day see the benefit of
the program and the affect it is having on their lives.
Ensuring that students currently in the program can continue to
attend private schools is the first step, but Congress must do more.
What about the other families in D.C. who want to take advantage of
the program? What about the siblings of students currently in the
program? All students in D.C. deserve to have access to educational
options, including private schools.
Congress must ensure that low income families in D.C. have the
opportunity to choose the best educational environment for their
children. We must not only continue to allow the students who are
currently enrolled in private schools through the D.C. Opportunity
Scholarship Program to continue their education, but we must
continue the program to allow more low income students trapped in
underperforming schools to benefit. Parents and children of this
nation are depending on it.
Mr. Ensign is a Republican
senator from Nevada.
Copyright © 2009 HUMAN EVENTS.
All Rights Reserved.
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