Turning the Titanic: A victory for education reformers in Illinois?

[xiggi]

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Since Obama and the Democratic Congress denied the residents of Washington D.C. the choice of which schools to send their children, it might have been nice if they would have sent their children to the same public schools these children are stuck with. No way they are going to do that.

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<p>While The DC voucher program did not get as much attention as the Planned Parenthood in the latest budget saga, Mr. Boehner delivered on his promise to fight to reauthorize the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program. </p>

<p>[Boehner</a> to ‘revive’ school vouchers - Washington Times](<a href=“http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/jan/25/boehner-seek-revival-dc-vouchers-program/]Boehner”>http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/jan/25/boehner-seek-revival-dc-vouchers-program/)</p>

<p>[Boehner</a> revives D.C. voucher program | Barbara Hollingsworth | Beltway Confidential | Washington Examiner](<a href=“http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2011/01/boehner-revives-dc-voucher-program]Boehner”>http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2011/01/boehner-revives-dc-voucher-program)</p>

<p>Here’s the story:</p>

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WASHINGTON—A couple thousand low-income children in District of Columbia will be happy about the budget bill for the current fiscal year that President Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and Speaker of the House John Boehner agreed to Friday night: It includes the reopening of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, which provides scholarships to low-income families to send their children to a school of their choice. Congress will likely pass the budget bill midweek. </p>

<p>Democrats closed the program to new students in 2009, phasing it out, but when Republicans took the majority in the House of Representatives this year, Boehner pressed hard to reopen the program. He introduced the SOAR (Scholarships for Opportunity and Results) Act that reopened the program for another five years, allowing new students in and upping the scholarships from $7,000 per child to up to $8,000 to $12,000 per child, depending on grade level. The act includes provisions for the 216 students who had been accepted into the program in 2009 but were barred after Democrats closed the program. The voucher bill is the only measure Boehner has introduced as speaker.

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