[Vision2020] NEA president supports vouchers for all

Thu, 11 Sep 2003 12:37:56 -0700

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News and Analysis: NEA president supports vouchers for all

In a late-night vote Tuesday, the House of Representatives, by a razor-thin
margin, approved the controversial bill to provide $10 million in private
school tuition grants to at least 1,300 D.C. schoolchildren next year. As
Gadfly reported last week, three prominent D.C. officials, all former
voucher foes, came out strongly in favor of the new "scholarship" program.
Since then, Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), also a longtime voucher
opponent, has reiterated her support for the program, claiming that, while
she does not support vouchers for her own state, she believes "local leaders
should have the opportunity to experiment with programs that they believe
are right for their area."

This week's vote, which was divided almost exactly along party lines, is
doubly interesting in light of a recent Heritage Foundation report showing
that 38 percent of House Democrats send at least one child to private
school-thus exercising private school choice of their own. This number, of
course, does not include the countless others who exercise school choice by
buying homes in good public school districts, a luxury that poor families
cannot afford. What's good enough for the goose ought, in our view, also be
available to the gander.

In another interesting turn of events, when queried by Siobhan Gorman for
the Washington Monthly, NEA president Reg Weaver came out swinging against
the D.C. voucher initiative. When pressed on the details, he couldn't quite
explain why the program should not be tried in the District. In the end, he
was forced to make the perfect the enemy of the good by arguing that
vouchers "would only help a limited number of students [in D.C.]." When
asked if he would support a program that gave all students vouchers, Weaver
responded, "If they would give [all] 67,000 students a voucher, yeah."

Gadfly applauds Mr. Weaver for his generous and visionary boldness and is
pleased to note that he seems to have embraced the proposition that
education choice for all is the best of all education systems. We look
forward to co-publishing with the NEA a new manifesto on behalf of universal
school choice. -Kathleen Porter

http://www.edexcellence.net/gadfly/#news1

Best,
Dale

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<DIV><B><FONT face=3DVerdana><FONT size=3D5>News and Analysis<SPAN=20
class=3D564463619-11092003>: </SPAN></FONT></FONT></B><FONT =
face=3DVerdana=20
size=3D+1><B>NEA president supports vouchers for all</B></FONT><FONT=20
size=3D+1><BR><BR></FONT>In a late-night vote Tuesday, the House of=20
Representatives, by a razor-thin margin, approved the controversial bill =
to=20
provide $10 million in private school tuition grants to at least 1,300 =
D.C.=20
schoolchildren next year. As Gadfly reported last week, three prominent =
D.C.=20
officials, all former voucher foes, came out strongly in favor of the =
new=20
"scholarship" program. Since then, Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), also =
a=20
longtime voucher opponent, has reiterated her support for the program, =
claiming=20
that, while she does not support vouchers for her own state, she =
believes "local=20
leaders should have the opportunity to experiment with programs that =
they=20
believe are right for their area."<BR><BR>This week's vote, which was =
divided=20
almost exactly along party lines, is doubly interesting in light of a =
recent=20
Heritage Foundation report showing that 38 percent of House Democrats =
send at=20
least one child to private school-thus exercising private school choice =
of their=20
own. This number, of course, does not include the countless others who =
exercise=20
school choice by buying homes in good public school districts, a luxury =
that=20
poor families cannot afford. What's good enough for the goose ought, in =
our=20
view, also be available to the gander.<BR><BR>In another interesting =
turn of=20
events, when queried by Siobhan Gorman for the Washington Monthly, NEA =
president=20
Reg Weaver came out swinging against the D.C. voucher initiative. When =
pressed=20
on the details, he couldn't quite explain why the program should not be =
tried in=20
the District. In the end, he was forced to make the perfect the enemy of =
the=20
good by arguing that vouchers "would only help a limited number of =
students [in=20
D.C.]." When asked if he would support a program that gave all students=20
vouchers, Weaver responded, "If they would give [all] 67,000 students a =
voucher,=20
yeah."<BR><BR>Gadfly applauds Mr. Weaver for his generous and visionary =
boldness=20
and is pleased to note that he seems to have embraced the proposition =
that=20
education choice for all is the best of all education systems. We look =
forward=20
to co-publishing with the NEA a new manifesto on behalf of universal =
school=20
choice.<I> -Kathleen Porter</I></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D+1><BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D+1><A=20
href=3D"http://www.edexcellence.net/gadfly/#news1">http://www.edexcellenc=
e.net/gadfly/#news1</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D4></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D564463619-11092003>Best,</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D564463619-11092003>Dale</SPAN></DIV></BODY></HTML>

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