Fast Report

• Legislation approved in Utah, and signed by the governor last month, creates the nation’s largest school voucher program.

Utah’s vouchers are open to all incoming kindergartners and all students currently in public schools, regardless of family income, and also to low-income children already attending private schools. The amount of the vouchers ranges from $500 to $3,000, depending on family income. Voucher programs in other states are restricted to poor students, those in struggling schools, or students with disabilities.

The Utah program is the first that could be called a “universal voucher program,” said Marc Egan, director of federal affairs at NSBA. “In many ways it confirms what public school advocates have said and believed for years: that the voucher movement’s claims of wanting to help poor kids leave ‘lousy schools’ was simply a red herring. The true goal has always been providing taxpayer subsidies for wealthier families who send their kids to private schools.”

The program is expected to cost $9.3 million the first year and $48 million a year when all K-12 private school students are using vouchers. The Utah School Boards Association is part of a group opposed to vouchers, Utahns for Public Schools, which is trying to put the voucher program on hold until the issue can be put on a ballot referendum in 2008.

Senate committee approves Head Start bill

• The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee approved a bill in February to overhaul Head Start. A similar bill was introduced in the House March 9.

The Senate bill would strengthen accountability of local Head Start programs, improve coordination between Head Start providers and local school districts, better align Head Start programs with kindergarten, and raise teacher qualifications.

The bill would extend the maximum income limits of eligible households from 100 percent to 130 percent of the federal poverty level. It would authorize $7.3 billion for Head Start in fiscal year 2008, an increase of about 6 percent over current levels. The roles of local Head Start policy councils would be limited, and the National Reporting System, a test on math and literacy given to Head Start children ages 4 and 5, would be abolished.

NSBA supports the Senate bill, particularly for its emphasis on school readiness, but also urges Congress to enact a new voluntary preschool program with a separate funding stream for all children, said Reggie Felton, director of federal relations.

High Court to rule on parents’ roles in IDEA

• The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments Feb. 27 in a case involving parents’ roles in special education lawsuits.

In Winkelman v. Parma City School District, the parents ended up in court over a dispute about their son’s individualized education plan (IEP) under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). When the parents attempted to represent their son in federal court themselves without a lawyer, the court ruled they could not do so.

NSBA filed an amicus brief that argues parents should not serve as their child’s attorney in a court.

“The nuances and complexities of federal litigation today, especially in a highly specialized area like special education, virtually demand the skills of legal professionals on both sides to help the court reach the best decision,” said NSBA General Counsel Francisco Negrón.