[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 45 (Thursday, March 31, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E581]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              SCHOLARSHIPS FOR OPPORTUNITY AND RESULTS ACT

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                               speech of

                           HON. RUSH D. HOLT

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 30, 2011

  Mr. HOLT. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the so-called 
``Scholarship for Opportunity and Results Act'' H.R. 471. Private 
school vouchers are not an effective way to improve student 
achievement.
  I do not support private school voucher programs. Not only do these 
programs sometimes blur the line between church and state, but there is 
also little evidence that this type of reform actually helps students. 
In fact, I am very concerned that vouchers do nothing more than drain 
money out of our public school system, especially from the schools that 
need the most financial assistance from the federal government.
  In 2004, I opposed the creation District of Columbia's private school 
voucher program and I have repeatedly voted against proposals to use 
federal funds to support voucher programs. H.R. 471 seeks to bring back 
to life a failed voucher program that Congress has already voted to 
end.
  The bill before us today would spend another $100 million on a 
program that the evidence tells us does not work. Four separate U.S. 
Department of Education reports found that that the DC voucher program 
had no statistically significant effect on reading or math achievement. 
So why are we spending more today when the evidence is clear? We must 
not put ideology ahead of evidence. We must make decisions after 
weighing the evidence. If you do that, then you will oppose new funding 
for private school vouchers.
  Further, this bill does nothing to help American students in the 
other 50 states. Parents, teachers, students, and school officials 
across New Jersey want to know what we are doing to address their 
needs. Why are we only talking about students in the District of 
Columbia?
  I will continue to voice my opposition to this and other voucher 
programs that divert needed resources from our public schools and urge 
rejection of this measure.

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