School Choice & Charters

Senate Panel Approves D.C. Voucher Measure

By Erik W. Robelen — September 10, 2003 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

The Senate took a step late last week toward creating a federal voucher program when its Appropriations Committee approved a pilot initiative for the District of Columbia.

The House was expected to vote on a similar plan last Friday.

In both chambers, the vehicle for private school vouchers is a spending bill that covers the nation’s capital. House appropriators have set aside $10 million for the pilot, and the Senate panel has allotted $13 million. While the measures differ in some particulars, both would target the tuition aid toward children from low-income families who attend poor-performing public schools in Washington. In each version, the vouchers would be worth up to $7,500.

Voucher supporters gained a political boost this year when key local leaders, including Mayor Anthony A. Williams, a Democrat, came on board.

The fate of vouchers at the Senate committee level was uncertain last week until Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., announced that she had signed off on a deal with Republicans. A month earlier, she had signaled her willingness in concept to back a voucher bill, if crafted to her liking.

In a July 22 opinion essay in The Washington Post, the senator said she has grown concerned about the struggles of the 71,000-student District of Columbia school system.

"[I]f the mayor wants this program, it should be given the chance to work,” she wrote.

The Senate amendment to establish a voucher program was approved by a vote of 16-12 on Sept. 4, with a second Democrat, Sen. Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia, joining Sen. Feinstein in support. Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania was the only Republican who voted no.

A Senate Filibuster?

To help allay concerns of Ms. Feinstein, Republicans agreed to several changes, such as to establish joint authority for the voucher program between the mayor’s office and the federal Department of Education.

Opponents weren’t ready to throw in the towel after the Senate committee action.

“While this vote is a setback, I do not believe this voucher proposal will become law,” said Ralph G. Neas, the president of People for the American Way, a Washington-based advocacy group that opposes vouchers.

Beyond the House vote, the main hurdle for the voucher pilot is the Senate floor, and the big question there is whether Senate Democrats will attempt to filibuster the spending bill.

Events

Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Privacy & Security Webinar
Navigating Cybersecurity: Securing District Documents and Data
Learn how K-12 districts are addressing the challenges of maintaining a secure tech environment, managing documents and data, automating critical processes, and doing it all with limited resources.
Content provided by Softdocs

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School Choice & Charters Tracker Which States Have Private School Choice?
Education savings accounts, voucher, and tax-credit scholarships are growing. This tracker keeps tabs on them so you don't have to.
School Choice & Charters Opinion What's the State of Charter Schools Today?
Even though there's momentum behind the charter school movement, charters face many of the same challenges as traditional public schools.
10 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
School Choice & Charters As Private School Choice Grows, Critics Push for More Guardrails
Calls are growing for more scrutiny over where state funds for private school choice go and how students are faring in the classroom.
7 min read
Illustration of completed tasks, accomplishment, finished checklist, achievement or project progression concept. Person holding pencil tick all completed task checkbox.
Nuthawut Somsuk/iStock/Getty
School Choice & Charters How a District Hopes to Save an ESSER-Funded Program
As a one-time infusion of federal funding expires, districts are searching for creative ways to keep programs they funded with it running.
6 min read
Chicago charter school teacher Angela McByrd works on her laptop to teach remotely from her home in Chicago, Sept. 24, 2020.
Chicago charter school teacher Angela McByrd works on her laptop to teach remotely from her home in Chicago, Sept. 24, 2020. In Montana, a district hopes to save a virtual instruction program by converting it into a charter school.
Nam Y. Huh/AP