National private school voucher plan quashed

A group of 23 moderate House Republicans, led by Judy Biggert of Illinois, bucked its party’s leaders in November and defeated an effort to include a private school voucher plan in the House budget reconciliation bill. Biggert, who serves on the House Education Committee, convinced 22 colleagues to sign on to a letter that opposed adding any amendment that included a voucher plan.

Education Committee Chairman John Boehner (R-Ohio) had attempted to add the amendment despite his voucher proposal failing to pass in the Education Committee. Boehner’s amendment would have created the first national private and religious school voucher program.

NEA President Reg Weaver said members played a key role in contacting their representatives and urging them to oppose any amendment that offered a private or religious school voucher plan.

The voucher plan was passed earlier on a voice vote in the Senate, and Weaver said senators who voted for it should be ashamed.

“This political maneuvering was done under the guise of trying to provide assistance to the schools and students affected by Hurricane Katrina,” Weaver said.

The amendment would have allowed direct cash payments of federal dollars to private and religious schools for one year (the 2005-06 school year).

Weaver said the NEA had urged the Senate to support an already existing option that would help all students by providing goods and services to public and private school students. “The mechanism NEA supports – equitable participation – is the best and most efficient way to speed relief to schools and children in need,” he said.

Public education advocates warned that the voucher plan would damage public schools.

“Vouchers don’t rebuild schools and won’t do anything to address the issues these children and schools are confronting or will face next school year,” Weaver said.

Resource page on private school vouchers

Posted November 18, 2005