Yet in 2009, shortly after Pres. Obama took office, a Democrat Congress voted to defund DCOSP and Education Secretary Arne Duncan barred any new enrollments, presumably because Democrats hate poor, mostly Black school children. It's the only explanation. Or perhaps it's simply a matter of political payoff to union cronies.
"In a March 6, 2009 letter to Obama, the NEA president Dennis Van Roekel called the D.C. program "an ongoing threat to public education in the District of Columbia" and urged Obama to "use your voice to help eliminate this threat" by opposing "any efforts to extend this ineffective program."So, what happens when Republicans are in charge of the House? Hope and change in the form of funding for school choice which allows poor, mostly Black children to escape the massively expensive and brutal failure that is the D.C. public school district.
The Department of Education recently issued a three-year analysis of student achievement under the program that showed limited gains in reading and no significant progress in math. But the White House concluded that moving the children back to public schools amounted to an unnecessary disruption"
EM over at HA sums it up best:
"Conservatives usually balk at federal initiatives on education, and for good reason — federal mandates eliminate local control and discourage parental involvement. However, Congress has jurisdiction over Washington DC and pays for the upkeep and maintenance of its schools. The Lieberman-Boehner SOAR Act puts those resources into parental choice and eventually will force public schools to adapt and compete — as happened before Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid pulled the plug on actual Hope and Change."After all, it is for the children. Right, Mr. President?
