Washington, D.C.’s school voucher program would get a longer life expectancy under a House committee bill passed Friday.
The program, technically known as the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, would be extended for five years under the bill. It passed the House Government and Oversight Committee on a 16 to 14 vote.
The bill was introduced Monday by Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, who rarely introduces legislation. The fact that he made funding the program a high priority shows how important he feels the voucher program is to his legacy. The only other bill Boehner has introduced in this session of Congress was related to the Iran nuclear deal.
“[Boehner] is passionate about this issue,” said Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, chair of the committee. “I want to thank Speaker Boehner. He has been a leading champion of the [opportunity scholarship program] during his time in Congress, on and off the field. He has done that in this body, putting actions behind words, but as you go off campus and look at what he’s done and the support he’s offered, he’s been a true champion. I thank the speaker for his commitment to making sure American children have access to high-quality education.”
Much of the committee debate over the bill focused on local control of education. The Council of the District of Columbia opposes the voucher program.
“A majority of the D.C. council, including the chairman of the education committee, has submitted a letter to this committee in opposition to reauthorizing this program,” Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., said at the committee meeting. “The D.C. voucher program is [Boehner’s] pet project, not ours. While at the same time he has stood in the way of what D.C. residents have repeatedly requested from Congress: from budget and legislative autonomy, to voting rights and statehood.”
Holmes Norton and President Obama want the program to expire, but with enough funding for current participants to graduate.
Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, weighed in on the debate over D.C.’s opposition to the program. “I hear home rule, how about the homes these kids come from?” Jordan said. “Their moms and dads have decided this is a better opportunity for their child. That’s the power of this concept.”
Many students and parents participating in the voucher program were present at Friday’s hearing. Holmes Norton spoke with them before and after the hearing, thanking them for their attendance and stressing that she wants current participants to be allowed to continue until graduation.
The voucher program is not due to expire until September 2017. The bill also gives federal funding to Washington’s public schools and public charter schools, at amounts equal to funding for the voucher program.
Through the program, more than 6,000 Washington students receive scholarship awards of up to about $12,500 for high school and $8,400 for elementary and middle schools. Nine out of 10 students in the program graduate from high school, a much higher rate than Washington public schools.
The program overwhelmingly serves low-income families. The average income of families involved is just over $20,000.
Jason Russell is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
