So concluded the Washington Post's editorial page on Saturday with a piece aptly subtitled, "Politics is driving the destruction of the District's school voucher program."??Here's the news:
EDUCATION SECRETARY Arne Duncan has decided not to admit any new students to the D.C. voucher program, which allows low-income children to attend private schools. The abrupt decision -- made a week after 200 families had been told that their children were being awarded scholarships for the coming fall -- comes despite a new study showing some initial good results for students in the program and before the Senate has had a chance to hold promised hearings. For all the talk about putting children first, it's clear that the special interests that have long opposed vouchers are getting their way.
Jaypgreene.com has been??plenty more here. But if you really want to get yourself worked up, read this letter from the U.S. Department of Education's Jim Shelton and D.C. deputy mayor Victor Reinoso (both of whom deserve a strong reputation as reformers, which makes the letter all the more sickening) to the affected families. Here's the opening paragraph:
We deeply regret the confusion over whether or not your child would receive a scholarship through the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program. Please know that we understand and sympathize with the uncertainty that you and your family may have faced over the past few months, and we are committed to doing everything possible to help ensure that your child is in a safe school environment that offers strengthened academic programs.
The confusion? There was no confusion before the Obama Administration decided to yank the scholarships from these families. Now back to the Washington Post:
Citing the political uncertainty surrounding vouchers, a spokesperson for Mr. Duncan told us that it is not in the best interest of students and their parents to enroll them in a program that may end a year from now. Congress conditioned funding beyond the 2009-10 school year on reauthorization by Congress and approval by the D.C. Council. By presuming the program dead -- and make no mistake, that's the insidious effect of his bar on new enrollment -- Mr. Duncan makes it even more difficult for the program to get the fair hearing it deserves.That's not to mention the impact of the last-minute decision on these families. Many of the public charter schools already have cut off enrollments for the upcoming school year; the deadline for out-of-boundary transfers for the public schools has passed. No doubt Mr. Duncan is right about possible disruption for new students if the program were to end. But scholarship officials have been upfront with parents about the risks, and the decision really should be theirs. Let them decide whether they want to chance at least one year in a high-quality private school versus the crapshoot of D.C. public schools.
So to my friends in the Obama Administration: let me suggest that the next time you communicate with these families, you do so with more honesty. It would go something like this: "Because Democrats in Congress have voted to rescind funding for this program after next school year (despite the fact that a recent evaluation shows it to be a success, a rarity for federal initiatives), we have unilaterally decided* to rescind your child's scholarship effective immediately. Taking a cue from Congressional Democrats, we are superimposing our judgment about what is best for your child for your own judgment. Have a nice day."
Worked up yet?
* Updated (2:15 p.m.): Perhaps "unilaterally" is too strong, as I now understand that Congress put strong language in its (unbinding) conference report (the one that accompanied the appropriations bill that in effect killed off the program) that urged the Department of Education not to make any new scholarships. So now this part of the letter should read: "...we have??decided to rescind your child's scholarship effective immediately, rather than upset our allies on Capitol Hill."
