Funding cut for D.C. voucher program

The Senate Appropriations Committee unanimously approved a bill to cut funding for the Washington, D.C., school voucher program from the current level of $14.8 million to $14 million, rejecting President Bush’s proposal for $18 million.

Even more important, the committee made it clear that the five-year pilot program, which is due to expire Sept. 30, will not be reauthorized and suggested future funding for it might not be approved.

In addition, the committee report says participating private schools would have to hold a District of Columbia occupancy permit and employ teachers who hold bachelor’s degrees in the core subjects.

The House Appropriations Committee approved a similar measure earlier this year but would maintain funding at $14.8 million.

“By providing funding, but not further authorization for this program, this year’s bill is essentially a placeholder in this debate,” said Rep. José E. Serrano (D-N.Y.), chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government. He expects Washington, D.C., leaders to propose a plan next year for “either rolling back the program or providing some alternative options.”

The Washington, D.C., Opportunity Scholarship Program currently provides vouchers worth up to $7,500 for approximately 1,900 students.

NSBA has urged Congress to end funding for the program and let it expire.

Associate Executive Director Michael A. Resnick sent a letter to Appropriations Committee members urging them to vote against providing federal dollars for vouchers, “especially given the perennial underfunding of Title I and special education by tens of billions of dollars annually.”

Resnick noted that private schools do not have the same accountability standards, including those in the No Child Left Behind Act, that public schools face. The private schools also can determine which students to accept.

A key rationale for creating the program was the claim that vouchers would permit students to transfer to better schools, Resnick said, but that has not proven to be true.

The U.S. Education Department published a study in June that found no statistically significant differences in reading and math achievement between students who received vouchers and those who remained in public schools. A 2007 study by the department reached the same conclusion.

The D.C. voucher program also has been dogged by several accountability shortcomings brought to light in a 2007 study by the U.S. General Accountability Office. Some private schools employed teachers without bachelor’s degrees, for example, and some were in buildings that lacked city occupancy permits.

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