By Stephanie Beer, USCM Intern
October 20, 2003

The Parental Choice Incentive Act of 2003 (H.R. 2556) better known as the "DC Voucher Proposal" has been pending before Congress as part of the education appropriation deliberation. It was withdrawn last month during the Senate debate because Senate Republicans could not obtain 60 votes for cloture to cut off the filibuster. The Senate plans to reintroduce this legislation after finalizing the 2004 fiscal year appropriation bills.

However, the proposed legislation would provide Washington (DC) Mayor Anthony A. Williams with an increased opportunity to be involved in public schools. Williams has supported it from the beginning. The mayor has called the proposal a "scholarship program," because he sees it as a great benefit to many public school students in the District. This legislation would provide funding to low-income parents to send their children to private schools. Preference would be given to public school students enrolled in schools that have been identified as "in need of improvement" as described in the No Child Left Behind Act.

The House of Representatives narrowly passed a version of this bill September 5 that provided $10 million for 1,300 students. The Senate version of the legislation would have provided approximately 1,700 students with up to $7,500 of taxpayer-funded grants. These "scholarships" could be used to cover costs of private school tuition, fees, and transportation expenses.

Under this legislation, the Secretary of Education may award the grants to students from families below 185 percent of the poverty line; and may award these grants for not more than five years. These students would be chosen on a first-come, first'serve basis, unless the school cannot accommodate every student that applies.

The proposal is part of a 3'sector Education Initiative made by Williams that also includes public schools and charter schools. Williams and Kevin P. Chavous, a DC council member, have said that public schools will not lose funds for students participating in this voucher program.

Also, the legislation allows religiously affiliated schools to participate in the program. Such schools would be permitted to display religious art, icons, scriptures; use religious terms in its name; make religious references in its mission statements and other chartering or governing documents; and may hire instructors and board members on a religious basis. These schools may also admit students according to sex if it is consistent with religious beliefs. This section on religious school participation has drawn some strong opposition.

To ensure accountability, students who participate in this program would be required to take tests comparable to those taken by public school students. The Secretary of Education is required to submit to the appropriate Congressional committees an interim annual report each year and a final report after the final year for which grants have been made on the evaluation of the programs funded under this Act. Grantees would also be required to submit to the Secretary reports on academic achievement, graduation and college admission rates, and parental achievement.