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Republican leaders are dubbing new national school voucher legislation "opportunity scholarships."
However, NEA president Reg Weaver says the legislation is just the same old school voucher song with a different verse.
"These lawmakers know that voters have rejected 'school vouchers' every time they've been proposed, so now they're disguising them as 'scholarships,'" Weaver said. "Voucher programs rob public school students of scarce resources. No matter what politicians call them, vouchers threaten the basic right of every child to attend a quality public school."
The America's Opportunity Scholarships for Kids Act would provide grants to states, school districts and non-profit organizations for "scholarships" to allow disadvantaged students in underperforming public schools to attend private schools at taxpayer expense.
Wisconsin private voucher schools have earned a notorious reputation as many have been accused of or suspected of misusing state funds. In January, the state terminated Northside High School from the program, and last October the Ida B. Wells Academy was kicked out. In January 2005, Academic Solutions Center for Learning was ordered out of the controversial program, and many other schools have either been kicked out or excluded from participating over the last few years.
Weaver said lawmakers can better help students in underperforming schools by adequately funding those schools. The so-called No Child Left Behind Act is underfunded by over $40 billion. Congress last year cut funding by another $1 billion, and now the 2007 fiscal year spending bill reported by the House Appropriations Committee would cut another $500 million.
"The buzzword in education today is accountability, yet school vouchers divert scarce public school dollars to unaccountable private schools," Weaver said. "Private school students are not required to take federally mandated tests, private school teachers do not have to meet 'highly qualified' standards and private schools do not have to show Adequate Yearly Progress. Public schools can, and should, be held accountable, but lawmakers need to provide the resources to get the job done."
Resource page on private school vouchers
Posted July 20, 2006