[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 48 (Tuesday, April 5, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E637]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   OPPOSITION TO EFFORTS TO EXPAND A FEDERALLY-FUNDED SCHOOL VOUCHER 
                  PROGRAM IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, April 5, 2011

  Ms. NORTON. I submit the following letters:

                                           Council of the District


                                                  of Columbia,

                                   Washington, DC, March 30, 2011.
     Senator Harry Reid,
     Majority Leader, U.S. Senate,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Reid: We write to express our opposition to 
     renewed efforts to expand a federally-funded school voucher 
     program in the District of Columbia. We appreciate your 
     interest in providing support to public education in the 
     District. We strongly believe, however, that federal funds 
     should be invested in the existing public education program--
     both the public schools and the public charter schools--
     rather than diverted to private schools.
       We support the decision by Congress and the President 
     several years ago to phase out the voucher program. Multiple 
     US Department of Education reports of the program indicate 
     that the program has not lived up to the promises made by 
     proponents. Moreover, a Government Accountability Office 
     report revealed that many of the voucher students attend 
     private schools with fewer resources and lower standards than 
     our public schools. The evidence is clear that the use of 
     vouchers has had no statistically significant impact on 
     overall student achievement in math or reading, or for 
     students from schools in need of improvement.
       We have serious concerns about using government funds to 
     send our students to private schools that do not have to 
     adhere to the same standards and accountability as do public 
     and public charter schools. For example, private religious 
     schools, which 80% of voucher students attend, operate 
     outside the anti-discrimination provisions of the District's 
     Human Rights Act. Moreover, the voucher proposal is 
     inequitable: if fully funded, the authorization would provide 
     at least $8,000 per student for vouchers, but only about $723 
     per public charter school student, and even less--about $437 
     per public school student.
       Although we believe that students who are already receiving 
     a voucher should have the opportunity to maintain and use 
     that voucher through graduation from high school, we do not 
     support expansion of the program to new students. The 
     District has devoted considerable funds to public education. 
     As a result, parents in the District have both public school 
     choice and access to the most extensive set of alternatives 
     to traditional public schools in the country.
       We appreciate your willingness to take into account the 
     wishes of the District's elected officials on the 
     quintessentially local matter of education as you consider 
     this issue.
           Sincerely,
     Michael A. Brown,
       Councilmember, At-Large.
     Mary M. Cheh,
       Councilmember, Ward 3.
     Jim Graham,
       Councilmember, Ward 1.
     Phil Mendelson,
       Councilmember, At-Large.
     Tommy Wells,
       Councilmember, Ward 6.
                                  ____
                                  
                                                        Council of


                                     the District of Columbia,

                                   Washington, DC, March 30, 2011.
     Hon. Nancy Pelosi,
     Minority Leader, House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Congresswoman Pelosi: We write to express our 
     opposition to renewed efforts to expand a federally-funded 
     school voucher program in the District of Columbia. We 
     appreciate your interest in providing support to public 
     education in the District. We strongly believe, however, that 
     federal funds should be invested in the existing public 
     education program--both the public schools and the public 
     charter schools--rather than diverted to private schools.
       We support the decision by Congress and the President 
     several years ago to phase out the voucher program. Multiple 
     US Department of Education reports of the program indicate 
     that the program has not lived up to the promises made by 
     proponents. Moreover, a Government Accountability Office 
     report revealed that many of the voucher students attend 
     private schools with fewer resources and lower standards than 
     our public schools. The evidence is clear that the use of 
     vouchers has had no statistically significant impact on 
     overall student achievement in math or reading, or for 
     students from schools in need of improvement.
       We have serious concerns about using government funds to 
     send our students to private schools that do not have to 
     adhere to the same standards and accountability as do public 
     and public charter schools. For example, private religious 
     schools, which 80% of voucher students attend, operate 
     outside the anti-discrimination provisions of the District's 
     Human Rights Act. Moreover, the voucher proposal is 
     inequitable: if fully funded, the authorization would provide 
     at least $8,000 per student for vouchers, but only about $723 
     per public charter school student, and even less--about $437 
     per public school student.
       Although we believe that students who are already receiving 
     a voucher should have the opportunity to maintain and use 
     that voucher through graduation from high school, we do not 
     support expansion of the program to new students. The 
     District has devoted considerable funds to public education. 
     As a result, parents in the District have both public school 
     choice and access to the most extensive set of alternatives 
     to traditional public schools in the country.
       We appreciate your willingness to take into account the 
     wishes of the District's elected officials on the 
     quintessentially local matter of education as you consider 
     this issue.
           Sincerely,
     Michael A. Brown,
       Councilmember, At-Large.
     Mary M. Cheh,
       Councilmember, Ward 3.
     Jim Graham,
       Councilmember, Ward 1.
     Phil Mendelson,
       Councilmember, At-Large.
     Tommy Wells,
       Councilmember, Ward 6.

                          ____________________