MCCAIN TO OFFER AMENDMENT PROVIDING EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA CHILDREN
posted in Candidates, Education vouchers, Issues, John McCain (R) |Original source: http://mccain.senate.gov/press_office/view_article.cfm?id=653
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) plans to offer an amendment to the Education bill on Wednesday to provide educational opportunities for economically disadvantaged children in the District of Columbia through a four-year school choice voucher program paid for by eliminating pork barrel projects and wasteful spending in the federal budget.
“We need to demonstrate through a successful voucher program in the District of Columbia, where per-pupil-spending is among the nation’s highest yet students score well-below average, that we can implement a successful voucher program nationwide,” McCain said. “This program would expand educational opportunities for low-income children in the District by providing parents and students the freedom to choose the best school for their unique academic needs, while encouraging schools to be creative and responsive to the needs of all students.”
The “Educational Choices for Disadvantaged Children” amendment will authorize $25 million for fiscal years 2002 through 2005, with $24 million going to the scholarships and the remainder being used for expenses including a Comptroller General study.
Under this amendment, the District of Columbia Board of Education would determine which schools would be eligible for scholarships, targeted at the schools with the lowest academic performance in the District. They would then establish a lottery for determining which qualifying students in the identified schools would receive the scholarship.
Each eligible child would receive $2,000 per year for four years, to be used for public, private or religious school tuition and transportation costs, or supplementary educational assistance while attending either a private, public or religious school. Finally, at the end of the demonstration, the Comptroller General would prepare a comprehensive report on the results of the program.
“Vouchers encourage public and private schools, communities and parents to all work together to raise the level of education for all students,” said McCain. “We have a moral obligation to explore all options to see what works and what doesn’t work when it comes to educating the future of our nation. Too many kids are trapped in failing schools and that’s unacceptable for a nation as great as ours.”
