On September 9th the House passed the voucher provision by only one vote.  The Senate supporters of the bill failed to pass it as a stand-alone bill and have decided to roll the provision into the Omnibus Appropriations bill, which cannot be amended.

The current language of this unconstitutional provision would allocate ten million dollars for a school voucher program that would give public money for D.C. children to attend private and religious schools.  However, it would offer only the illusion of "choice" for the vast majority of DC public school students.  At best, the program would provide only a handful of children with still-limited educational options as participating private schools would still retain their right to choose which children to admit and which to reject.  Private schools would be given the privileged position of siphoning desperately needed funds from the public school system without offering the equal access that is the hallmark of public education. 

Congress must not divert funds to a voucher program that is designed to help only a few students, leaving the vast majority behind.  As Thomas Jefferson recognized at our country's founding, a uniform system of schools that is "equally open to all" is "essential to the preservation of a free government." This legislation is only the first step  -- if we fail to stop Congress from approving this plan, there will be little hope of preventing passage of a nationwide program.

Take Action! Urge your Senators to Oppose a Pilot Voucher Plan! 

 Vouchers finance discrimination in education.
Public schools must accept and educate all students, including those from diverse backgrounds, learning levels and abilities.  Religious and private schools, on the other hand, are allowed to pick and choose which students they admit.  Further, religious schools are not required to comply with many federal civil rights laws and can exclude students based on their religion, gender, learning or physical disabilities. 

 A DC voucher program would undermine local control of education.
For more than 20 years, the voters of the District have voted against schemes to divert public funds to private schools.  It would be tyrannical to impose on DC residents and their children a program that they have so strongly opposed. 

 School voucher schemes would force all taxpayers to support religious beliefs and practices with which they may strongly disagree.
At the heart of these proposals are the goals of commingling church and state in the classroom and diverting public funds to private and parochial schools.  Religious schools represent 85 percent of the total private school enrollment in the United States.  These schools by their nature combine proselytization with education and therefore should not be funded by taxpayer dollars. 

TAKE ACTION!