More students in Washington, D.C., might soon have the opportunity to attend private schools of their choosing. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee met Thursday to discuss the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, with Republicans calling for the program to be expanded.
In a rare instance, the hearing was held outside Capitol Hill, with members convening at Archbishop Carroll High School in northeast Washington, D.C. More than half the school’s students attend the private school thanks to the Opportunity Scholarship Program.
Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, praised the Opportunity Scholarship Program for helping students graduate high school and go to college. “Giving students that choice has never been more important in the District than it is now,” Chaffetz said. “There’s nothing more important to our future than making sure that our children are as well-educated as we can possibly be.”
Among those testifying in support of the program was Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., who serves on the Senate education committee. “The generation to come will be better because of the D.C. [Opportunity Scholarship Program],” Scott said. He cited improved graduation rates and less government spending on students in the program. “We’re talking about the difference between spending about $20,000 for the normal public schools in D.C. versus spending about $8,500 for D.C. Opportunity Scholarships.”
Two beneficiaries of the Opportunity Scholarship Program were also present to testify. Seferash Teferra, the mother of a current Opportunity Scholarship student, said the program was helping her daughter Yalemwork’s dreams come true. “My daughter has massive potential and a love for learning that my income could not accommodate. … Because of the [Opportunity Scholarship Program], Yalemwork is in an academic community where she is thriving.”
Shirley-Ann Tomdio received an Opportunity Scholarship for nine years. Her parents immigrated to the United States from Cameroon, and Tomdio is now a pre-med student at George Washington University. “This scholarship has allowed me to build a strong foundation for myself,” Tomdio said. “DC [Opportunity Scholarship Program] continues to instill in me the courage and strength to continue on my journey each day, and make the most of my opportunities.”
Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., said she was supportive of parents who took advantage of the program and wants current participants to be allowed to continue in the program until graduation. But she opposed using federal funds on new students, citing “huge, slashing cuts being made to D.C. public school programs.”
Instead, Norton advocated using Opportunity Scholarship funds on D.C.’s charter schools. “If Congress sincerely wanted to help students in the District, it would direct the voucher funds to D.C.’s robust, home-rule, public school choice, our publicly accountable, charter schools,” Norton said.
Under the program, students receive need-based scholarships to attend one of 51 participating D.C. schools. The awards run up to $12,572 for high school and $8,381 on elementary and middle schools. Money can be spent on tuition, uniforms, books, before and after school care and public transportation. Only families on food stamps or whose income falls below 185 percent of the poverty line are eligible. When families renew their annual scholarships, their income can be up to 300 percent of the poverty line.
Ranking Member Elijah Cummings, D-Md., thanked all the students in attendance but made it clear he did not support expansion of the Opportunity Scholarship Program. He criticized Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, for wanting increased funding for the program while seeking cuts for federal education funding nationwide.
“I do not understand how anyone can claim to be promoting education of our nation’s children when they are slashing billions of dollars from education funds across the country,” Cummings said in his opening statement. “The answer is not to slash billions of dollars from national education funding, the answer is not to provide vouchers to attend private schools, the answer is to invest more in our public schools, our education systems, our teachers, and our kids.”
Rep. Todd Rokita, R-Ind., a member of the House education committee, was also on hand to participate in the hearing. Rokita rebutted Cummings, saying, “Since the federal government has been involved in the education business since the early 1970s, education spending has gone up 300 percent. And test scores … have been flat since the early 1970s. … Just throwing more money at something doesn’t solve the problem.”
The committee met to merely discuss the issue and did not take votes on any legislation.
For the 2014-15 school year, 1,442 students used an Opportunity Scholarship. Almost nine out of 10 students in the program would otherwise attend a school designated as in need of improvement. Six in 10 students in the program receive food stamps or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. On average, those students’ households had one adult and three children.
Almost 6,000 students have used the scholarship since it began in 2004.
