Azam Ahmed and Stephanie Banchero of the Chicago Tribune reported on Monday that while Arne Duncan was in charge of Chicago public education he kept a list of politicians and other well-connected people who had made requests of his office to have children admitted to the city's highest performing schools. The list documents that Mr. Duncan intervened regarding 10 requests for assistance and was a co-requester in about 40 cases. Mr. Duncan's wife and mother even got into the act of trying to influence who was admitted to schools. According to the article:
"The log is a compilation of politicians and influential business people who interceded on behalf of children during Duncan's tenure. It includes 25 aldermen, Mayor Richard Daley's office, House Speaker Michael Madigan, his daughter Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, former White House social secretary Desiree Rogers and former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun."
The list came to light because of a federal investigation and local inquiry into admission practices at the city's premier high schools.
Too bad the 1,700 kids enrolled in D.C.'s Opportunity Scholarship Program and their parents don't have the same connections. It is now perfectly clear that the key factor in the decision by the Education Secretary and President to terminate the of use of public money to send kids to private schools is that the voucher program was only open to poor people.
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