Delegate Norton, Congressional Dems Set to Cut Educational Lifeline, Parents “Befuddled”

The Washington Post reports today that D.C. delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton is working on a plan to kill the voucher program that enables close to 2,000 children in the District to attend good private schools. Anticipating an expansion of a Democratic majority in Congress and possible takeover of the presidency, Norton believes the program will end next year.

Norton admitted that in her conversations with parents, “They looked completely befuddled” at learning that the voucher program might be killed. I’m sure those parents can’t understand why politicians want to eliminate a small program that lets some lucky students escape from DC’s failing, dilapidated, and often dangerous schools.

These parents don’t understand that the priority for many politicians is giving kickbacks to teachers unions, not the welfare of kids or taxpayers.

Studies consistently demonstrate that choice increases parental satisfaction, student achievement and saves money. As Andrew Coulson noted in a recent oped, the District spends more than $24,000, in contrast to the maximum $7,500 voucher, on each child and still can’t ensure a safe, let alone adequate, education.

"We have to protect the children, who are the truly innocent victims here," explained voucher opponent Norton, apparently without irony.

Instead of conspiring to send nearly 2,000 children back to one of the worst public school systems in the country, Norton and other Democrats should keep the D.C. voucher program and expand school choice through other methods such as education tax credits. We need to put more power in the hands of parents instead of a corrupt and union-dominated school system.

Killing DC’s voucher program would be a cruel and indefensible exercise in special-interest pandering.