Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Reauthorization Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. WALBERG. I thank the chairman for this opportunity.
Mr. Chairman, I come to the floor today, after looking in the eyes of
the kids, students, their parents, eyes filled with hope and
opportunity and success.

I come to the floor today to add my support for H.R. 10, the SOAR
Reauthorization Act, because it works. This legislation will ensure the
continuation of the successful D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program,
which was established by Congress in 2004, to provide eligible low-
income families in the District of Columbia with the opportunity to
attend the school of their choice.

Innovative programs like the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program are
necessary to fix our broken educational system and prepare our children
for the 21st century workforce, and I am confounded that any of my
colleagues would oppose a program that provides students with an
opportunity for a better education, especially one that has been an
unqualified success.

On average, students in the Opportunity Scholarship Program have a
graduation rate of 90 percent, well above the national average, as well
as D.C.'s overall graduation rate of 58 percent. These students
continue to succeed in their pursuit of higher education, with 88
percent of the graduates going on to attend a 2- or 4-year college or
university.

While the benefits to D.C. children are clear, the program also plays
an important role in empowering parents to make the best choice for
their kids and engaging them in their educational and academic
progress. A recent survey of parents found that 85 percent of parents
are happy with their child's current Opportunity Scholarship Program
school.

H.R. 10 has garnered the support from a wide array of stakeholders.
Just yesterday, in an op-ed entitled ``A Misguided Attack on D.C.'s
Needy Students,'' The Washington Post editorial board defended the SOAR
Act and wrote in support of reauthorizing the D.C. Opportunity
Scholarship Program, noting that over 6,100 children have benefited
from the program, while thousands more are on waiting lists.

The Washington Post also notes that nearly 75 percent of D.C.
residents support the program, which has provided more than $600
million in funding for traditional public schools, charter public
schools, and the voucher program.

It is important to note, Mr. Chairman, that this bill does not take
any funding away from D.C. public schools. In fact, the legislation
authorizes equal funding to public schools, charter schools, and
scholarships.

With an average family income of less than $22,000 for participating
families, this program really is a lifeline for low-income D.C.
families, offering students up to $1,572 to pay for tuition, fees, and
transportation. Why, Mr. Chairman, would any of us want to prohibit
these students and families from opportunity and success?
This is a hand up to the American Dream. Ensuring our children have
access to the best possible education should not be a partisan issue, and receiving a quality education
should not be limited to people of means.

I urge my colleagues to continue supporting this program and pass
H.R. 10. It is the right thing to do. Let's do it for the kids.
Ms. NORTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I simply want to say, once again, that no child currently enrolled in
the program under the compromise that I have offered would be stricken
from the program and all current voucher students could stay until
graduation. It is new students that we object to, given the evaluation
that shows that the program had not met its goal, which was to improve
reading and math scores. By contrast, we have had improvement in
reading and math scores both in the D.C. public schools and the D.C.
charter schools.

Also, Mr. Chairman, there is no waiting list for vouchers in the
District of Columbia. However, there are long waiting lists for our
charter schools, and now, even for some public schools.
Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from
New Jersey (Mrs. Watson Coleman).

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