White House and Whip Hoyer Join Norton in Opposing D.C. Voucher Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today said that she appreciated the Obama administration's Statement of Administration Policy (SAP) strongly opposing Speaker John Boehner's (R-OH) bill, H.R. 10, to reauthorize the District of Columbia private school voucher program. Both Norton and the administration support a compromise that would allow all current students to remain in the voucher program until their graduation, but Speaker Boehner and House Republicans rejected the compromise and are insisting that new students be admitted despite the District's own home-rule, public charter school alternative. Norton also expressed her gratitude to House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) for whipping House Democrats to vote against the bill when it comes to the House floor tomorrow, Wednesday, October 21, 2015. Norton will manage debate on the bill on the House floor for Democrats.

The SAP notes that "rigorous evaluation over several years demonstrates that D.C. vouchers have not yielded statistically significant improvements in student achievement by scholarship recipients compared to other students not receiving vouchers." Furthermore, the SAP says that "Instead of using Federal resources to support a handful of students in private schools, the Federal Government should focus its attention and available resources on improving the quality of public schools for all students."

"I thank the administration for strongly opposing the House Republican effort to once again impose an unsuccessful and unaccountable private school voucher program on the District," Norton said. "I also thank my good friend, Whip Steny Hoyer, for organizing a united Democratic opposition to this program, which has failed our children and violates D.C. home rule. As the Obama administration notes, Congress should be focusing on improving public education and increasing resources for all District students. Instead, my Republican colleagues are proposing to cut billions from public elementary and secondary schools. We believe that the combination of very significant improvements in our traditional public schools, plus our charter school alternative, which attracts almost half of our children, makes D.C. a model choice jurisdiction."

At tonight's House Rules Committee hearing on the D.C. voucher bill, the committee made in order a Norton amendment to the bill, which she plans to offer on the House floor tomorrow. Norton's amendment to the program would restore the integrity of the program's evaluation and eliminate voucher mills, which rely solely or largely on federal funding for their existence.

The full Statement of Administration Policy follows.

STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY

H.R. 10 – Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Reauthorization Act

(Rep. Boehner, R-OH, and 14 cosponsors)

H.R. 10 would reauthorize the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Act, which provides Federal support for improving traditional public schools in the District of Columbia (D.C.), expanding and improving high-quality D.C. public charter schools, and offering private school vouchers to a limited number of students. The Administration continues to strongly oppose the private school vouchers program within this legislation, known as the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program.

Rigorous evaluation over several years demonstrates that D.C. vouchers have not yielded statistically significant improvements in student achievement by scholarship recipients compared to other students not receiving vouchers. In addition, H.R. 10 would extend this voucher program to a new population of students previously attending private schools. Instead of using Federal resources to support a handful of students in private schools, the Federal Government should focus its attention and available resources on improving the quality of public schools for all students.