First lady Michelle Obama Monday celebrated Cinco de Mayo at a Northwest Washington charter school — just in time for a gathering battle over local school choice.
“President Obama and [Education] Secretary [Arne] Duncan have been really supportive of charter schools,” said Dan Lips, an education policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation. “It’s a good sign that they are recognizing the need for school choice, but why stop there?”
The president signed a bill last month that cancels a federally funded school voucher program after the 2009-2010 school year, unless Congress and the District government act to reauthorize it.
The D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program provides low-income students with up to $7,500 a year for tuition to a private school. The Department of Education recently notified the parents of some 200 District students awarded scholarships for the fall that they would not be admitted to the program.
On Wednesday, DC Parents for School Choice, a pro-voucher organization, are planning a midday rally at Freedom Plaza in an effort to convince policymakers to save the voucher program. A call to the organization was not returned. At her Cinco de Mayo event at the Latin American Montessori Bilingual Public Charter School, the first lady steered clear of education politics.
Students at the school, some dressed in traditional Latin American clothing, danced and sang for the first lady, who also took questions from students and touted a White House internship program for D.C. Public Schools students.
In his campaign for president, Obama promised to double funding for charter schools and support the most effective education programs. He also promised to improve high school graduation rates, teacher pay and more.
Obama has been less clear on vouchers. In a questionnaire from teachers unions last year, Obama said he did not support vouchers. Later, in interviews, he indicated a willingness to consider supporting voucher programs that work.
“The president doesn’t believe that vouchers are a long-term answer to our educational problems and the challenges that face our public school system,” said White House press secretary Robert Gibbs.
The president’s concerns reflect those of key Democratic constituencies, including teachers unions and others who argue that vouchers further weaken troubled public education systems.
