The District of Columbia Public Schools’ voucher program should be locally funded and open to all students, a report says.
“Spreading Freedom and Saving Money: The Fiscal Impact of the D.C. Voucher Program” is available from the Cato Institute.
A locally funded universal voucher program would save the city $3 million, and would give more money directly to private schools rather than to the district’s central administration, according to the report by the Washington-based Cato Institute and the Indianapolis-based Milton and Rose D. Friedman Foundation, both supporters of school vouchers.
The program currently provides more than 1,000 students from low-income families with $7,500 for private school tuition, fees, and transportation, and is supported by $13 million in federal grants.