Letter to House Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government: June 11, 2008

June 11, 2008

Member
Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government
Committee on Appropriations
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

Re: Oppose funding for school vouchers in D.C. Appropriations bill

Dear Representative:

On behalf of the 95,000 school board members who serve the nation’s 50 million students in our local public school districts, the National School Boards Association (NSBA) urges you to oppose funding for the expiring Washington, D.C., private school voucher program during the markup the subcommittee will hold Tuesday, June 17 on the District of Columbia appropriations bill.

The nearly $15 million a year program provides vouchers worth up to $7,500 for approximately 1,900 students. Created as a five-year pilot, it is scheduled to expire in 2008. And, despite proponents’ claims five years ago that vouchers would permit students to attend better schools, the Congressionally mandated federal evaluation released in 2007 found no significant differences in academic achievement between voucher students and their peers in Washington, D.C. public schools.

Not only does the experimental program lack academic evidence to support its continuation, a U.S. Government Accountability Office report documented several accountability shortcomings, including federal taxpayer dollars funding tuition at private schools that do not even charge tuition, schools that lacked city occupancy permits, and schools employing teachers without bachelor’s degrees. It also noted that children with physical or learning disabilities are underrepresented compared to the public schools.

Although they receive taxpayer dollars, private schools in the program do not face the same public accountability standards, including those in the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, that all public schools face. The private schools also do not have to accept all students, as they are permitted to maintain their admissions standards.

Despite the program’s dubious record, President Bush’s FY09 budget calls for an increase to $18 million for vouchers. NSBA believes that Congress should not continue spending federal taxpayer money on private schools, especially given the perennial underfunding of Title I and special education by tens of billions of dollars annually.


NSBA believes the objective evidence does not support the reauthorization or continued funding of the only federally funded school voucher program. We urge you to oppose the Washington, D.C. voucher program’s continued funding in the subcommittee and full committee markup, and as the appropriations bill moves forward. Thank you for considering our views, and please contact Marcus Egan, Director of Federal Affairs, at (703) 838-6707 or megan@nsba.org, if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Michael A. Resnick
Associate Executive Director