Democrats block GOP bid to extend DC vouchers

[ProSense]

Democrats block GOP bid to extend DC vouchers

WASHINGTON – Senate Democrats have dealt a setback to a Republican-sponsored school voucher program that gives schoolchildren in the nation's capital the chance to attend private schools.

The Senate voted 50-39 along mostly party lines to reject a bid by Nevada Republican Sen. John Ensign to extend the program beyond the 2009-2010 school year. That leaves in place a provision contained in a huge spending bill that requires Congress and the Washington, D.C. government to re-approve the program. Republicans say that is likely to kill it.

About 1,700 mostly low-income and minority students kids receive the $7,500 vouchers, which offer an alternative to the troubled D.C. school system.

The White House is not fond of the program but issued a statement saying currently enrolled kids should not have their educations disrupted.

Vote was actually 58 - 39

Roll call

[marmar]

1. Good. Make public schools better and stop sucking them dry with vouchers, charters etc

n/t

[vaberella]

3. Here, here!! That's exactly what I was thinking.

Bloody Repubs, that is wasteful spending (they keep talking about) when Public schools need better teacher, better funding, and better organization but can provide quality education for the masses. As Michelle Obama likes to say, she was the product of the South Side Chicago school system and look at how she turned out. People don't want to give effort.

[MiniMe]

2. I'm still trying to figure out why the repubs are trying so hard to push

this through for DC.

[soccermomforobama]

4. Repubs want vouchers to succeed so that they can push them to be

used for private/religious schools. Vouchers are a huge part of the GOP platform on education. (That and the English First model)

[genna]

5. Reason: To bankrupt the public school system.

Why did Republicans force vouchers on New Orleans?

To dry up public schools. Their literature in the 1990s was that public schools were government schools which taught small children a liberal agenda.

[genna]

6. DC schools except Banneker HS sucked when I went through primary/secondary public ed.

I've watched Jim Lehrer review the Superintendent of DC Schools before and after the new mayor.

What has happened to the educational promise these public voucher students have shown since they began their private school run? Is there any statistical significance between them and their public school cohort?

[Cha]

7. Keep the sneaky slimely

repubs from destroying our public schools with their vouchers.