Boehner Calls for Opportunity Scholarships to be Restored (309 hits)
by Jennifer Mesko, managing editor
President Obama is expected to focus on education in tonight’s State of the Union address to Congress. He has said it’s an area where Democrats and Republicans could come together. “I think everybody in this country thinks that we’ve got to make sure our kids are equipped in terms of their education, their science background, their math backgrounds, to compete in this new global economy,” the president said in November.
“And that’s going to be an area where I think there’s potential common ground.” Speaker of the House John Boehner is looking to take the president up on his offer. On Wednesday, the Ohio Republican plans to introduce legislation to resurrect the Washington, D.C., Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP), which President Obama and Congress began phasing out in 2009.
On Wednesday, the Ohio Republican plans to introduce legislation to resurrect the Washington, D.C., Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP), which President Obama and Congress began phasing out in 2009.“If the president is sincere about working together on education reform, we should start by saving this successful, bipartisan program that has helped so many underprivileged children get a quality education,” Boehner said in a statement to Politico.
The OSP, which was passed by Congress in 2004, allows low-income students to compete for private-school scholarships worth up to $7,500 each. A federal evaluation of the program found that students who used the scholarships were nearly four months ahead of their public school peers in reading. A later study of the program found that students had graduation rates 21 points higher than their public school peers.
“Congress needs to open up the education system, to include all forms of school choice, including private, charter, traditional public and home schools,” Boehner said in a video promoting National School Choice Week, which wraps up Saturday. Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., is expected to introduce a similar bill in the Senate. He and Boehner will hold a joint news conference Wednesday.
Candi Cushman, education analyst at CitizenLink, said: “It would be a travesty for the president and Congress to put politics above children’s interests. These kids should not have to sacrifice their future just to protect the status quo and the interests of politically powerful unions that feel threatened by competition.”
Boehner said he’s always believed that, “Parents are best equipped to know their children’s needs. “And for that reason, parents should be empowered to select the best learning environment for their children. By restricting parents’ choices, we only harm our children’s future.”
