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“For
D.C.,
reauthorizing
school
choice
is
the
right
choice”
Editorial
Board
The
Washington
Post
March
14,
2016
“In
their
zeal
to
kill
off
the
federally
funded
scholarship
program
for
poor
D.C.
students,
opponents
have
peddled
the
fiction
that
Congress
foisted
the
program
on
an
unwilling
city.
In
fact,
the
program
was
backed
enthusiastically
by
then-Mayor
Anthony
A.
Williams
(D)
and
a
key
D.C.
Council
member,
and
parent
demand
for
scholarships
far
outstrips
supply.
So
let’s
hope
that
a
letter
from
Mayor
Muriel
E.
Bowser
(D)
and
a
majority
of
the
council
urging
continued
funding
for
the
program
finally
puts
the
myth
to
rest
and
helps
allow
more
students
to
benefit
from
the
program.
“The
D.C.
Opportunity
Scholarship
Program,
which
provides
needy
students
with
vouchers
to
attend
private
schools
of
their
choice,
is
up
for
reauthorization.
As
has
happened
before
with
all-too-depressing
frequency
since
the
scholarships
were
established
in
2004,
the
program
is
under
attack
from
unions
and
other
opponents.
[…]
“Three
members
who
previously
had
urged
that
the
program
be
killed
joined
Ms.
Bowser
and
five
other
members,
including
council
Chairman
Phil
Mendelson
(D),
in
a
March
7
letter
to
congressional
leaders
in
support
of
the
Scholarships
for
Opportunities
and
Results
(SOAR)
Act.
[…]
“Officials
with
Serving
Our
Children,
the
nonprofit
that
took
over
administration
of
the
scholarships
in
October,
told
us
there
are
more
than
1,900
applicants,
with
more
expected,
for
just
146
new
spots
next
year.
If
Congress
doesn’t
reauthorize
the
program,
funding
could
dry
up,
with
no
new
students
accepted
after
the
2016-2017
school
year.
The
scholarships
provide
a
lifeline
to
low-income
and
underserved
families,
giving
them
the
school
choice
that
more
affluent
families
take
as
a
given.
And
because
the
program
results
in
more
federal
money
for
D.C.
public
education
and
not
less
—
another
myth
advanced
by
opponents — it's
time
for
Congress
to
act.”
Last
October,
Senator
Scott,
a
member
of
the
Senate
Education
Committee, along
with
Senators
Dianne
Feinstein
(D-Calif.),
Ron
Johnson
(R-Wis.)
and
Cory
Booker
(D-N.J.)
introduced
the Scholarships
for
Opportunity
and
Results
Act to
extend
the
successful
Washington
D.C.
Opportunity
Scholarship
Program
through
2025.
Companion
legislation,
sponsored
by
former
Speaker
John
Boehner
and
a
group
of
bi-partisan
co-sponsors,
passed
the
U.S.
House
of
Representatives
last
October.
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