Vouchers that allow parents to use taxpayer money to help their children attend private or religious schools have been stripped from House and Senate education reform bills (CT, June 11, p. 15). Disappointed conservatives promise to keep trying.
The Senate bill requires states to test students in grades 3-8 annually, using national guidelines. Problem schools would receive more money while they change their curricula and staff. If students still fail to improve, they would be allowed to switch to other public schools and, eventually, use tax dollars for private tutoring. After five years of failure, schools would be taken over by the state or by private companies.
A pilot program to provide vouchers to poor parents in 10 cities also failed in Congress. But the Senate approved an amendment by Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) to penalize schools that discriminate against the Boy Scouts for its stance against homosexuality.
The House and Senate versions now must be reconciled before any reform becomes law.
"The education bill is anything but perfect," says Connie Mackey, director of federal relations for the Family Research Council. "It did not represent the President's initial [approach]."
But the FRC will continue fighting for vouchers. "Nothing's ever dead on the Hill," Mackey says. "You just repackage and try again."
While we pray for peace, we need moral clarity about this war.
A Christian reconciliation group in Israel and Palestine warned that war would come. Now the war threatens their relevance.العربيةFrançais
Leader explains why the movement is seeing its biggest membership bump in 30 years and its mission for the years ahead.
