AmericanFederationFor Children - U.S. Department of Education Interference Hurts D.C. Voucher Program Enrollment

Despite bigger appropriation and strong demand, fewer children enrolled for 2012-2013 school year

WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 23, 2012)—The highly successful D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP) enrolled 1,584 children from low-income families for the 2012-2013 school year—fewer students than last year—in a reduction that comes despite a near $5 million increase in funding over the previous school year.

The D.C. Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation (Trust), which administers the program, received nearly 1,500 new applications for the 2012-2013 school year, despite being told not to accept applications after March 31 of this year. In addition, the Trust was not given permission to hold scholarship lotteries for new applicants until July of this year.

The lower enrollment numbers are the result of a year-long effort by the U.S. Department of Education to limit participation in the OSP. In March, President Obama’s FY 2013 budget proposal zeroed out funding for the program, contradicting the law he signed last year. House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Chairman Joe Lieberman (I-CT) then sent a letter to the president pressing him and the administration to reverse course and expedite full implementation of the program.

After several weeks of negotiations, Speaker Boehner and Senator Lieberman announced in June that an agreement had been reached with the Department that would fully implement the program. The Department’s overall implementation guidance to the Trust, however, resulted in just 319 children being offered new scholarships and prevented hundreds of additional children from enrolling, including eligible private school children from low-income families who were specifically excluded.

“It is simply tragic that fewer children are participating in the OSP this year given the availability of funds and the incredibly strong demand from low-income District families,” said Kevin P. Chavous, senior advisor to the American Federation for Children and a former D.C. Councilmember. “This program provides children who are most in need with access to a quality education, and it’s appalling that the U.S. Department of Education continues to stand in the way of that vital choice.”

A bipartisan agreement in 2011 reauthorized the D.C. OSP at $20 million annually for five years. Under the FY 2011 budget agreement, the OSP received $15.5 million in funding for the 2011-2012 school year. The appropriation for FY 2012 was $20 million, which covered the 2012-2013 school year. For FY 2013, Congress is currently operating under a continuing resolution through March 31, 2013, which includes authority for the OSP to spend at an annual rate of $20 million.

Following reauthorization of the OSP last year, the demand was so strong that enrollment went from just over 1,000 children to more than 1,600— a 60 percent increase for the 2010-2011 school year. Demand was equally strong heading into this school year.

“Nearly 1,500 low-income families submitted applications to enroll their children in the OSP, but DOE’s guidance meant only 319 were offered scholarships,” Chavous said. “That’s not in the spirit of giving every child hope, that’s not fighting for equal access regardless of family income, and that’s not following the law.”

Because of the limited number of new students participating, a credible federal evaluation of the program cannot be initiated this year. The previous evaluation of the program found that OSP students graduate at a rate of 91 percent—more than 20 percentage points higher than those interested in the program, but who did not receive a scholarship. A subsequent study by the D.C. Trust found that 94 percent of participating students graduated in 2010 and 2011, and 89 percent of those graduates enrolled in a two- or four-year college. The program also enjoys very high parental satisfaction, with 92 percent of parents reporting being very or somewhat happy with their child’s academic progress in the program.

The D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program is the only federally-funded private school voucher program. Since its inception in 2004, more than 11,000 families have applied for the program, and nearly 6,000 have received scholarships.

Read this release online here.

www.FederationforChildren.org

ALG's Daily Grind: The 'new' normal, part 2

March 28, 2012

The 'new' normal, part 2

Economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman argues that austerity measures will have a depressing effect on economic output. He's right. That is, if all you're doing is cutting.

Video: Is The Individual Mandate Constitutional? ObamaCareWatcher.org Explains This Debate

The Supreme Court is trying to decide the constitutionality of ObamaCare. ObamaCarewatcher.org's John Vinci explains what this debate is all about.

Predictions of Obamacare's Demise by Liberal Media Premature

It is generally agreed that in order to win this case, the respondents (opponents of the law) will have to win over the four conservatives on the bench, Justices Roberts, Scalia, Thomas and Alito, as well as, the court's perennial swing vote, Justice Kennedy. 

Freshman Mulvaney's attempt to bring fiscal sanity to D.C.

The Republican Study Committee alternative budget would balance the budget this decade.

AFC - President's Budget Proposal Fails to Fund D.C. Voucher Program

Despite reauthorization agreement, Obama aims to halt highly-successful Opportunity Scholarship Program

WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 13, 2012)—President Barack Obama’s newly-released federal budget would not provide funding to the highly-successful D.C. voucher program, despite an agreement signed by the president last year that reauthorized the program.

The American Federation —the nation’s voice for school choice—strongly decries the president’s failure to provide funding to the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP), which currently provides scholarships to more than 1,600 children from low-income families across the nation’s capital to attend the private schools of their parents’ choice.

Though the OSP is in little danger of going unfunded—Congress is charged with appropriating funds, and House Speaker John Boehner is an ardent defender of the program—the move by President Obama is effectively a reneging on the promise he made last April in a budget agreement he signed that helped avert a government shutdown.

“The president says he’s for education reform, but his actions continually aim to send low-income and minority students back to schools that are failing them academically, are unsafe, or are otherwise not meeting their needs,” said Kevin P. Chavous, a senior advisor to AFC and a former D.C. Councilman. “This latest hypocrisy is just the most recent instance in which the president has stood in the way of students who are improving test scores and graduating in higher numbers.”

Since barring new students from entering the program in 2009, Obama has made a number of statements expressing support for reform that have contradicted his actions regarding the OSP. In 2010, President Obama publicly stated that he would not send his daughters to D.C. public schools, despite actively working to bar low-income families from having that choice.

And while the president rightly talks about the nation’s severe dropout crisis—as he did in his State of the Union address last month—he’s unwilling to support the OSP, where students’ 91 percent graduation rate is 21 percentage points higher than those who applied but couldn’t get a scholarship. And according to the Institute of Education Sciences—the primary research arm of the U.S. Department of Education—the OSP has the second highest achievement impact of any of the programs it has studied so far.

Since the program’s inception in 2004, more than 10,000 families have applied to participate in the OSP. Four years of studies by Georgetown University and the University of Arkansas have shown overwhelming parental satisfaction, and 74 percent of D.C. residents polled a year ago supported reauthorization.  More than 700 participants participated in a signup event for the program on Saturday, hosted by the D.C. Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation. The Trust received more than 520 applications at the event.

“By any reasonable measure, the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program has been an overwhelming success,” Chavous said. “President Obama wouldn’t be where he is today without a private school scholarship. He needs to stop playing politics and do what’s right for kids.”

Read this release online here.

www.federationforchildren.org

Frank's Footnotes: Another Victory in the Fight to Fix the Broken Culture of Washington

Another Victory in the Fight to Fix the Broken Culture of Washington: The STOCK Act Passes the House
I’m pleased to tell you about another important piece of legislation that will reform the way Washington does business. Last Thursday, the House passed S. 2038 the STOCK (Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge) Act in a strong bipartisan vote of 417-2. I was an early cosponsor of the House’s version of the STOCK Act, H.R. 1148, too. This bill would prohibit Members of Congress, the Executive Branch and their staffs from using nonpublic information for personal benefit. These individuals are privy to sensitive information on a daily basis. We must ensure this knowledge serves our nation’s best interests, not personal gain. When Granite Staters sent me to Capitol Hill, they told me to convey the message that they will no longer stand for the status quo. In the past year, I’ve been delivering on that. I’ve voted to freeze my own pay, cosponsored legislation to get rid of automatic pay raises for Members of Congress, worked to reform the pension system and have cut my own office’s budget twice – yielding an 11.4% total reduction. As an early cosponsor of the STOCK Act, I’m pleased to see the passage of another necessary reform. You can be assured I will continue fighting to change the broken culture of Washington at every turn.

	Helping the Seacoast Find Work: Portsmouth Job Fair Planned for February 22
	As the economy struggles to recover, it’s often hard to find good, middle class jobs. That’s why I’m hosting a special job fair in Portsmouth on Wednesday, February 22. More than 30 employers will be there to talk face-to-face with job seekers. The fair is also an excellent opportunity for those who are under-employed, or who are interested in making a career change, to explore new options. The Portsmouth Job Fair will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Great Bay Community College, located at 320 Corporate Drive. It’s free and open to everyone. Please CLICK HERE to learn more about the event and those participating employers and organizations. This is the fourth job fair I have hosted as part of my ongoing Getting Granite Staters Back To Work jobs initiative. The first three (held in Derry, Rochester and Manchester) successfully united employers and job seekers, and I’m confident this one will, too.

	Another Week, Another Two Budget Reform Bills Pass the House
	Two more pieces of legislation aimed at fixing Washington’s broken budget process passed the House last week. H.R. 3581, the Budget and Accounting Transparency Act was approved on Tuesday and H.R. 3521, the Expedited Legislative Line-Item Veto and Rescissions Act passed the House on Wednesday. They join two additional budget reform bills the House passed earlier this month (H.R. 3578, the Baseline Reform Act and H.R. 3582, the Pro-Growth Budgeting Act). Although some of these budget reform bills have received bipartisan support in the House, they keep piling up on the steps of the Senate. Increased transparency, oversight, and accountability should not be partisan issues. However, Senate Majority Leader Reid continues to block such reforms. Just as he bears full responsibility for the Senate’s refusal to pass a budget in over 1,000 days, our inability to reform Washington’s broken budget process rests at his feet as well. Regardless, I will continue to fight for legislation that will change the status quo in Washington. CLICK HERE to learn more about the four House-passed budget reform bills, as well as six others that we on the Budget Committee will be fighting for in the coming weeks.

	Welcoming Special Olympics NH and Best Buddies to Capitol Hill
	I sat down last Wednesday afternoon with representatives from two important Granite State groups. I met board members and participants from Special Olympics NH and Best Buddies and truly enjoyed hearing about the many positive, uplifting activities they sponsor. My thanks to the following people for the important work they do and for making the time to meet with me: Mary Conroy President, Special Olympics NH Mark Duggan Chair, Special Olympics NH Board Mike Dennehy Chair-elect, Special Olympics NH Board/Parent Martha Boddy, Athlete Marcia Gardner, Parent Susan Zimmerman, Best Buddies Advisory Board Member/Parent Peter Fleming, Best Buddies Ambassador

	Our Normal Schedule Resumes this Friday
	Usual readers of “Frank’s Footnotes” may be wondering why you’re receiving this e-newsletter on Monday rather than Friday afternoon. Technical difficulties delayed us from sending this out last week as planned. But rest assured, “Frank’s Footnotes” will resume its regular schedule this Friday afternoon. Thanks for understanding!

February 22, 2012 Rep. Frank Guinta to Host Job Fair in Portsmouth Location: Great Bay Community College 320 Corporate Drive Portsmouth, New Hampshire Time: 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. February 28, 2012 Open Office Hour with Rep. Guinta's Staff Location: Conway Town Hall 1634 East Main Street Center Conway, New Hampshire Time: 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. February 28, 2012 Open Office Hour with Rep. Guinta's Staff in Jackson Location: Jackson Town Hall 54 Main Street Jackson, New Hampshire Time: 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

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CEI Daily - Basel II, Religious Freedoms, and the D.C. Taxicab Medallion System

Basel III

Recently, several power-players in the financial sector have called for the U.S. to pull out of the Basel III bank solvency agreement.

CEI President Fred Smith comments.

"The international agreements to ensure the financial stability of banks, Basel I, II, and now the emerging III — claimed to strengthen banks by ensuring that the assets included in banking reserves were well selected. Risk-based capital was the goal — encouraging banks to place greater emphasis on assets that were more secure, less on those more likely to default. But, of course, governments tend to trust governments; thus, sovereign debt (specifically that of 'developed' nations and government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs)) received a higher rating and thus, a higher weighting."

Religious Freedoms

The Justice Department is questioning the long-standing ministerial exemption to equal employment laws.

Senior Counsel Hans Bader comments.

"If the Justice Department’s position were adopted, some churches might be pressured to adopt race and gender quotas. If the Justice Department’s position were accepted by the courts, not only would churches have to hire people who are ineligible to serve as clergy under their longstanding theology (like the Catholic Church being forced to hire female priests), but they might also have to get rid of education, training, and theological requirements that unintentionally weed out disproportionate members of particular groups."

 

 

D.C. Taxicab Medallion System

 

D.C. Councilmember Mary Cheh is holding a roundtable this morning on the D.C. Taxicab Commission.

 

Policy Analyst Marc Scribner talks about the coalition letter CEI and other groups have sent to Cheh, urging her to reject a taxicab medallion system.

 

"“Chairperson Cheh has displayed leadership on this issue in the past. We hope she takes at least a moment during today’s roundtable to express her wholehearted opposition to this legislation, which would harm consumers, entrepreneurs, and the District’s reputation if enacted.”