D.C. private school vouchers - still a bad idea

November 22, 3:55 PMDC Ward 5 Community ExaminerRobert Vinson Brannum

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The D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program or District private school vouchers program is a bad idea.  To the dismay of the editorial board of The Washington Post, Senator Joseph Lieberman (ID-CT), Congressman John Boehner (R-OH) and organizations supporting District private school vouchers, residents of the District have already voted by referendum against vouchers.

That is right District voters have already made known their will on vouchers.  In a past District voter referendum, 90 percent of District residents voted against a voucher program to allow vouchers for religious or private school tuition.  In addition, according to a National School Boards Association/Zogby International survey, 76 percent of District voters were opposed to private school vouchers. However, the editorial board of The Washington Post under the guidance of Mr. Fred Hiatt, editorial editor and Ms. JoAnn Armao, education editorial writer, Senator Lieberman, and Congressman Boehner do not care what District voters think. 

As DCPS loses students to charter and private schools, critical staff and public local and federal funds are diverted from helping to reform DCPS. The District vouchers program pulls critical funds from the public school system and imperils reform of DCPS.  Funds that can be targeted to improve DCPS teacher training, raising student academic achievement, and other support services to District student will be lost.  Moreover, the drive for accountability and transparency in the education of our children cannot be achieved because private schools, while receiving public funds are not bound by the rules of the No Child Left Behind Act.

The Washington Post, Senator Lieberman, and Rep. Boehner want to impose a federal program onto District residents despite local opposition.  As equally offensive is their efforts in promoting District private school vouchers is the fact Mr. Hiatt, Ms. Armao, and Senator Lieberman have sought to present a small group of District voucher supporters as a voice strong enough of override a referendum vote.  Public funds for private school vouchers is wrong because there is not public oversight, accountability and impartial studies to show they dramatically increase student achievement.

In an effort to either bully, to embarrass, or to pressure Congress to vote for District private school vouchers, supporters of District private school have utilized two commercial blitzes to coerce Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), Senate Assistant Majority Leader Richard Durbin (D-IL), and Representative Jose Serrano (D-NY) to depart from President Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to support District private school vouchers.  President Obama opposes the District vouchers.  The President has indicated public funds for private school vouchers do not advance public education for all children.  

The President is right to oppose District private school vouchers.  Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), George Voinovich (R-OH), and John Ensign (R-NV) should withdraw their support for Senator Lieberman's District private school voucher legislation.  This voucher program does not work and it infringes on the rights of District residents.

Many of the groups and persons advocating District private school vouchers are not based or reside in the District.  Their push for District private school vouchers is not out of any concern for District children, but rather a pernicious scheme to get public funds to pay for the private school education of children of upper-income.   The same District private school voucher supporters say they care about the education of District children are silent on other issues influencing high quality public education such lead poisoning, poor health care, a double-digit unemployment rate of District adults, and high rate of HIV/AIDS among District residents.

The editorial boards of The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and USA Today cannot with any shred of intellectual honesty claim they have listened to both sides of the District private school voucher argument.  Not only have they resisted talking with strong local opponents of District private school vouchers, but also their overall news articles about District public education are viewed as biased in favor of DC Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and DCPS Chancellor Michelle Rhee.  

It is clearly difficult to separate writing about District private school vouchers from District public education.  When writing about vouchers or District public education, editorial writers and reporters misread District public education test data and falsely label District education advocates with a different perspective as supporting the status quo and opposed to high quality public education.  It is deceptive logic to think you have to be pro District private school vouchers and pro Chancellor Rhee to be thought of as supporting District education reform.   

There are few purposes of good government and responsible parenting than providing high quality public education to our children. There are also different opinions about District private school vouchers and the reforming of District public education.  However, elected leaders and newspaper editorial writers should not create false enemies to our children's future to promote concepts not in the best interests of all children. 

Reform and change are inevitable.  While we must never resist reform and change for the exercise of resistance, we must always try to preserve the values and principles, which make us a great nation and a democratic society.  The D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program is a bad idea and continuing it is bad public policy. 

E-mail contact: rbrannum@robertbrannum.com