Huge Demand for School Vouchers in Capital City

[CShine]

WASHINGTON (AP) - Demand for access to the nation's first federally funded school voucher program has proved overwhelming in the nation's capital, due in large part to parental frustration with its troubled public education system. The Washington Scholarship Fund said Friday it has 2,650 applications from District of Columbia students seeking to leave the public schools. The number of applications is more than double the number of spaces available.

About 1,720 of the students are eligible under residence and income guidelines. Plans call for about 1,000 scholarships to be awarded by lottery to students who attended public schools this year, or will be entering kindergarten in the fall. Congress is providing up to $7,500 per year to help low-income students attend one of 50 private or parochial schools in the city. A total of 1,264 slots are available for the upcoming school year.

"The legislative intent was to expand the number of children exercising school choice," said Sally Sachar, president and chief executive officer of the Washington Scholarship Fund, which has a contract to administer the $14 million federally funded program.

Only 60 slots are for high school programs, falling 40 percent short of demand. On Thursday, a lottery will be held to determine which eligible public school students receive aid. WSF also administers a privately funded scholarship program for about 1,000 D.C. students attending schools in the D.C. and its suburbs in northern Virginia and suburban Maryland. A computerized lottery will be held to select 200 current private school students to receive aid under the new program.

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBZW4FQCVD.html

[chelsea0011]

1. Nationwide, isn't the figures over 10000 applications for only 300 spaces?

But why quibble? Mandated and not funded. It's never stopped Bush from moving forward(or backwards as reality is).

Where did the repukes think all these schools were going to be anyway?
And I get a kick out of vouchers. Here's $300. Oh, school costs $13000 a year? Too bad. Ain't it.

[saigon68]

2. This is an insult to teachers who care

The Chimpanzee is playing with smoke/mirrors

[James T. Kirk]

3. Mandated, but not funded?

The article said that it is funded for $7,500 per student. I think that's more than what we pay in my middle-class suburban town in New England. I say give the kids who want it a chance to participate in the program.

[chelsea0011]

5. It can only be funded if there is space. there is no space for students.

[James T. Kirk]

7. Only space for 1,000 now, but it will improve.

The article said the size of the program is limited. If the program keeps up, the schools will expand to accept more students. Even though it will only help 1,000 kids this year, it is a good start.

Also, if some students opt to go to alternative schools, it will alleviate overcrowding at the troubled government-run schools.

[mbperrin]

4. Here's the real goodie in here for the better off!

"A computerized lottery will be held to select 200 current private school students to receive aid under the new program. "

These folks are already in and paying and now they get a rebate - nice, ain't it?

[chelsea0011]

6. Looney, but repukes like to pretend

[James T. Kirk]

8. for low-income only

I'm sure they have an application process to make sure the kids of rich parents don't sneak in.

[Bridget Burke]

10. We can trust the Republicans.

Of course!

You have such touching faith.

[James T. Kirk]

11. The plan is supported by parents.

:eyes:
The plan is supported by low-income parents in the community. If you don't want to help them, fine. Just let the kids rot in bad schools.

Your faith in the DC schools is touching.

[Bridget Burke]

14. "Muddled" thinking?

Sounds familiar. Perhaps I'm having a flashback.

[struggle4progress]

9. Another Republican con job

Adequate funding for the public schools? No way. Instead, we'll offer a few kids vouchers to funnel more money to schools for the rich.

Main street, meet Dubya's middle finger!

[Malva Zebrina]

12. At last!

government funding for Catholic schools! And Fundamentalist schools will not be far behind, I am sure.

Yipee--public schools will surely go further downhill now that money is being shunted other places.

They have certainly been waiting around for a long time hoping to get welfare money to fix up their crumbling schools. I object to having a religious paraochial school use my money to teach their hypocrisy religion to little vulnerable children and especially to little girls. What and where is the accountability ? How are we going to know whether these schools can continue to reject or throw out those they do not want around them-and provide for the challenged children as well.

Who is going to inspect these schools to determine how our money is being spent? What are the standards they must follow?

[JCMach1]

13. It's not a VOUCHER-- the Federal Government is now subsidizing

Religious schools...!

Welcome to the new madrassas of the mind...

:grr: