The National Coalition for Public Education Sign-on Letter to the US Senate Appropriation Committee Urging Opposition to Continued Funding of Private School Voucher Program for the District of Columbia

Committee on Appropriations
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Senator:

The National Coalition for Public Education (NCPE) urges you to oppose the continued funding of a private school voucher program for the District of Columbia as part of the FY05 D.C. appropriations bill. This fall, the first ever federally funded voucher program is commencing in our nation's capital. While we wish only the best for these students, we firmly believe that the D.C. voucher program will help very few and will leave the vast majority of students behind. We strongly oppose this diversion of scarce public funds to these private and parochial schools.

Vouchers undermine accountability standards. Accountability is the cornerstone of education reforms authorized under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). To send public funds to schools over which the public may exercise no oversight is inconsistent and violates the principles of NCLB. Public schools are held to strict new accountability standards, yet voucher schools do not have to adopt the academic standards, ensure that teachers are highly qualified, or administer the same assessments required of public schools.

Vouchers do not give parents real school ""choice"" in Washington, D.C. Private and parochial schools may discriminate against students based on their admissions policies. Indeed, they do not need to accept students with disabilities and special needs, or even low academic performance and may expel students at will. Only slightly over 1,000 students have received vouchers, which is very small compared to the current enrollment of 75,000 students in D.C. public schools. Furthermore, students are limited in their choice based on what grade they are in, with fewer choices as students get older. Additionally, there are fewer choices for students with disabilities and English Language Learners.

Vouchers divert attention away from true education reform.

Privately funded voucher programs have failed to have any significant impact on the academic achievement of African American students who used them to attend private schools in the District.[1] Federal education policy should focus on fully funding NCLB which currently is under-funded by $9 billion. Full funding could be used to decrease class sizes, fund up-to-date school materials, and hire new teachers. Vouchers redirect dollars away from public schools to private schools that are not accountable for student performance or for how the funds are spent.

Vouchers threaten civil rights.

Finally, private schools are exempt from many civil rights laws, including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Additionally, where voucher funds may be used for sectarian educational purposes, a voucher program could require taxpayers to support instruction in religions that may be contrary to their own. In addition to compromising religious freedom, private school vouchers also threaten the autonomy of religious schools.

The undersigned organizations urge you to oppose any continued funding of the voucher program included within the FY05 D.C. Appropriations Bill.

Sincerely,

American Association of School Administrators
American Association of University Women
American Civil Liberties Union
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO
American Federation of Teachers
Americans for Democratic Action
Americans for Religious Liberty
Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Anti-Defamation League
Association of Educational Service Agencies
Central Conference of American Rabbis
Council for Exceptional Children
General Board of Church and Society of The United Methodist Church
Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America
International Reading Association
Jewish Council for Public Affairs
National Alliance of Black School Educators
National Association of School Psychologists
National Association of Secondary School Principals
National Association of State Directors of Special Education
National Council of Jewish Women
National Education Association
National PTA
National Rural Education Association
National School Boards Association
People For the American Way
School Social Work Association of America
Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
Union for Reform Judaism
United Church of Christ Justice and Witness Ministries
Women of Reform Judaism

[1] U.S. General Accounting Office, School Vouchers Characteristics of Privately Funded Programs, GAO-02-752 (Washington, D.C.: September 10, 2002).