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Vouchers urged dc schools { April 16 2003 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://washingtontimes.com/metro/20030416-18202811.htmhttp://washingtontimes.com/metro/20030416-18202811.htm
Vouchers urged for D.C. schools
Brian DeBose
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Published April 16, 2003
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Secretary of Education Rod Paige yesterday said his proposed voucher program for the District would force underperforming public schools to improve by competing with private and charter schools.
Mr. Paige rejected arguments that vouchers and other programs will take money away from public schools. He said the funds used to create the program will be "new money," and that opening up the system to choice will force public schools to work better and lead to innovation.
"The money for D.C. vouchers is new and will not impact existing school funds. [The opposition] is not responding to a loss of money," Mr. Paige said at a meeting with black press organizations at the Department of Education.
He said the problem with schools in the District and across the country is the stagnation caused by the monopoly that public school systems have on education. He also said black children are the most vulnerable when it comes to education performance.
"Black children are the lowest-performing minority in public schools," Mr. Paige said, citing statistics from studies conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics and Standard & Poor's School Evaluation Services.
"Where we are now, we are in a bad position educationally," he said. "We are on our way to oblivion."
Standard & Poor's is a private research group that provides independent analyses of public schools' educational results in light of their resources and how they are used.
He said the District's situation is proof that money and performance do not go hand-in-hand. A report released by the libertarian Cato Institute last fall showed that 36 percent of D.C. public school students scored "below basic" in mathematics on the Stanford 9 achievement test in 2001. In reading, 25 percent scored "below basic."
"The District reached No. 1 in the nation in per-pupil spending in 1996 [spending $9,000-$11,000 per student] while at the same time 12 percent of schoolchildren didn't have books," Mr. Paige said.
D.C. government sources have told The Washington Times the city is negotiating with the Education Department to allow a voucher program here. D.C. officials want a 5 percent increase on Medicaid reimbursements to cover the costs of serving special-education students and increased funding for charter school facilities, sources said.
D.C. School Board President Peggy Cooper Cafritz recently told WAMU-FM radio that Mayor Anthony A. Williams and D.C. Council member Kevin Chavous, Ward 7 Democrat, have been holding meetings with federal officials "behind closed doors" and have not included her input.
Mr. Paige said he is not aware of any negotiations but said, "We are interested in having some discussions, but we haven't gotten to that level of detail yet."
Council member David Catania, at-large Republican, recently told The Times, "It is unconscionable for the city to ask for concessions from the federal government to take their money for vouchers."
In February, The Times reported that Rep. Jeff Flake, Arizona Republican, introduced a bill that would set up a private, independent D.C. scholarship corporation to disburse the vouchers.
The institution would be funded by Congress at a cost of $7 million in fiscal 2004, $8 million in fiscal 2005 and then $10 million each fiscal year through 2008.
Under Mr. Flake's bill, D.C. children whose parents live below the poverty level would be eligible for scholarships of as much as $5,000. Children in households earning salaries up to 185 percent of the poverty level could receive $3,750. All other children would be eligible for $800 enhanced-achievement scholarships.
Mr. Paige said President Bush has made $75 million available for voucher programs nationwide. Mr. Flake said Congress should take the opportunity to better serve D.C. parents and children by passing his bill.
Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, D.C. Democrat, has said that the city has already spoken on school choice by accepting charter schools, and that vouchers have not been proven to be effective in improving a child's proficiency.
Copyright © 2003 News World Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.
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