9 months ago
WASHINGTON, DC (WUSA) President Obama thought he had a compromise that would put an end to the controversy over DC's private school vouchers: let the current students graduate -- and don't let any new children sign up.
But at a Senate hearing today, it was clear supporters plan to keep fighting for more.
There's an interesting coalition that continues this battle. It includes low-income families, Republicans, and Senate Committee Chair Joe Leiberman. Leiberman thinks he still has a fighting chance to re-authorize school vouchers.
"The program is a wonderful program, and I just don't want it to die," says Tiffany Dunston, who received vouchers to attend Archbishop Carroll Catholic High School, and now is in her first year at Syracuse University.
Supporters say they have plenty of anecdotal evidence that school vouchers helps DC schoolkids get into college and get better grades. "My child loves his school," says Latasha Bennett. "This program has been a blessing to us."
Trouble is the statistics are less clear. One report suggests that low income children -- who get up to 75-hundred dollar a year scholarships to attend private schools -- do significantly better in reading-- but NOT statistically better in math.
It was probably no accident that supporters called in the head of the private school Sasha and Malia Obama attend to argue that the DC school voucher experiment needs more time. "School choice, I believe, is as fundamentally American as apple pie," testified Bruce Stewart of Sidwell Friends School.
The teachers unions argue that public money should go to public schools, But perhaps because they think they've already won on the issue of school vouchers, Senator Leiberman says the unions turned down an invitation to testify at the hearing.
"There are some powerful forces allied against this program," said Sen. Leiberman (I-CT). "But we've got the facts on our side....We've got a fighting chance. And by God, we're going to fight to keep this program going."
Sen. Leiberman says his next move is to go to the Senate Majority Leader and argue that he has enough evidence of success to bring a voucher re-authorization bill to the floor.
But he admits it's going to be tough.
written by Bruce Leshan
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