Boehner Commends WSF for Progress in Implementing D.C. School Choice Program; New Data Shows Parental Demand Growing for Program in Second Year

WASHINGTON , D.C. – U.S. House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Boehner (R-OH) today applauded the Washington Scholarship Fund for its continued success in providing new educational options to disadvantaged students and families in the District of Columbia .  Last week, the Washington Scholarship Fund (WSF) held its first lottery for the upcoming school year to provide federally-funded scholarships for school choice in the nation’s capital, and the number of families applying far outnumbered the actual supply of available scholarships.

“In the first year of the D.C. scholarship program, the Washington Scholarship Fund overcame a number of hurdles and was able to provide new educational options to more than 1,000 disadvantaged students,” said Boehner.  “After a successful first year, WSF has set the bar even higher.  Parental demand is increasing for educational choices, and the D.C. scholarship program is poised to serve more students and families in the coming school year.”

“A lottery for D.C. students seeking federal [scholarships] to attend private schools yielded nearly two applicants yesterday for each available slot, with most students currently enrolled in low-performing schools,” the Washington Post reported on Saturday.  (Haynes, “2nd D.C. Voucher Lottery Gets Stronger Response,” April 16, 2005)

Proponents of school choice have long believed that if given the opportunity, parents would seek out new choices for their children’s education, Boehner noted.  The early signs from the second year of the D.C. scholarship program appear to confirm that with new options available, an increasing number of parents are seeking to exercise their ability to make choices about their children’s education.

According to WSF, last week’s lottery awarded 271 scholarships to students entering grades 6 – 12.  The lottery was necessary because the number of students applying for the scholarships outpaced the number of scholarships available by a nearly 2-to-1 margin.  More than half of the students who received scholarships are currently attending D.C. public schools identified as needing improvement under the No Child Left Behind Act.

“The D.C. scholarship program is providing new options and new hope to many children who might otherwise be trapped in schools identified as underachieving under the bipartisan No Child Left Behind Act,” continued Boehner, who worked with Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA) and other legislators in 2003-04 to enact the legislation that created the program.

WSF expects to provide scholarships to 1,650 to 1,700 students in the 2004 – 2005 school year, with 66 private schools offering new educational options through the program this year.  In the coming weeks, WSF will administer lotteries to award scholarships to students in grades K – 5, as well as to distribute additional scholarships that may become available at various grade levels.

With a broad coalition of support, including Democrat D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams and President Bush, the bipartisan initiative was first authorized by Congress in January 2004.  The program provides scholarships of up to $7,500 to allow disadvantaged students and families to choose to attend a private school in D.C.  Scholarships are awarded to students from low-income families, and a priority is given to applicants enrolled in schools identified as underachieving under the No Child Left Behind Act.

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