Eight of the 13 members of the Washington, D.C. city council and Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, wrote to congressional leaders Monday in support of federal funding for the city’s school voucher program. Previously, the program faced staunch opposition from local leaders, including Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C.
“We support the three-sector federal funding approach for DC’s K-12 education system that is authorized in the Scholarships for Opportunities and Results (SOAR) Act,” the letter reads. “Our support for the SOAR Act is rooted in the importance we place on the much-needed federal funding for DC Public Schools (DCPS) and public charter schools, which totaled $30 million in FY2016 … SOAR Act funding for DCPS has been used to support initiatives that reward and increase retention of high performing teachers and principals.”
The letter does not explicitly support the voucher program, but does mention that federal funding adds to, rather than replaces, local funding for schools. Furthermore, it acknowledges that federal funding for DCPS, public charter schools and the district’s voucher program are “inextricably linked.”
If funding isn’t extended, the school voucher program will expire at the end of September.
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., welcomed support from Bowser and the council members Tuesday. “The support of Mayor Bowser and most of the city council gives this legislation an important boost as we work to get it to the president’s desk,” Ryan said in a press release. “When we give more families a choice, more students succeed.”
Previously, President Obama said the program should be phased out in a way that allows all current participants to keep their funding through high school graduation. It’s unclear if his position has changed in light of the city council’s change of heart.
Bowser and Phil Mendelson, chair of the city council, previously wrote to congressional leadership in December to call for Washington’s education funding to be included in the omnibus appropriations bill that kept the government open. That effort failed, but supporters have held out hope for a separate funding bill.
The SOAR Act passed the House in October, one of the final priorities of then-Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio. The Senate version of the bill has bipartisan support from Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J. That bill had a hearing in committee but has yet to be receive a vote.
The bill gives equal federal funding to Washington’s traditional public schools, charter schools and private school voucher program.
The D.C. letter also opposes the Educational Freedom Accounts Act, which would create education savings accounts for Washington families to spend on private school tuition, tutoring, online education or other education purposes. The accounts would come with at least 80 percent of the normal taxpayer funding students receive. That act was introduced by presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.
“[The Educational Freedom Accounts Act] would be harmful to the District’s progress on education and we strongly oppose it,” the letter says.
Jason Russell is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
