CSE Key Votes the School Choice Amendment to the DC Appropriations Bill

On behalf of the 280,000 members of Citizens for a Sound Economy (CSE), I urge you to vote YES on the Davis/Frelinghuysen/Boehner Amendment to the DC appropriations bill H.R. 2765, which will enact the program created by H.R. 2556, the “DC Parental Choice Incentive Act of 2003.”

The District’s public school system is failing. Despite spending $3,000 per pupil per year more than the national average, it still ranks among the worst school systems in the country. The amendment funds the “DC Parental Choice Incentive Act of 2003,” putting the program into action. The amendment will give scholarships of up to $7,500 to DC parents to send their child to a private grade or high school of their choice.

The proposal is a broad-based, bipartisan solution to the DC education problem. It will give children from low-income families the chance to get out of the DC school system. The act does not take money away from the existing public school system. Combined with charter schools, this initiative provides parents with more control over their children’s education. Furthermore, it will create accountability for the DC school system, which has history of waste and inefficiency. Competition will end the public school monopoly and provide the children of DC a chance at a quality education. The amendment allows us to try school choice in DC, which then can be replicated around the country if successful.

CSE will count the vote on the Davis/Frelinghuysen/Boehner Amendment as a KEY VOTE to be reported to our members in your state. This KEY VOTE will be used to determine your eligibility for our Jefferson Award, to be presented at the conclusion of the 108th Congress. This award is provided to those legislators that espouse the CSE principles of limited government, lower taxes, and more freedom.

Sincerely,

Paul Beckner,

President and CEO