Douglas Alexander: “earlier this week, I introduced the America's Opportunity Scholarships for Kids Act, S. 3682, on behalf of President…”

“earlier this week, I introduced the America's Opportunity Scholarships for Kids Act, S. 3682, on behalf of President Bush. I was joined in introducing this legislation by Senators Ensign, Gregg, and Santorum. This bill provides meaning to the promise of the No Child Left Behind Act by giving low-income families whose children are stuck in low-performing schools the same opportunities other families already enjoy. President Bush proposed the America's Opportunity Scholarships Program as part of his fiscal year 2007 budget. The bill authorizes $100 million in competitive grants to State and local educational agencies or private nonprofit groups to provide low-income students in low-performing schools with scholarships to attend the school of their choice or receive tutoring. Thousands of eligible students would receive up to $4,000 in scholarship funds to apply to tuition and costs at the school of their choice or up to $3,000 worth of intensive tutoring to help them improve their academic achievement. Eligible low-income students are those who attend schools in ``restructuring,'' which means they have missed their student achievement goals under No Child Left Behind for 6 years in a row. The U.S. Department of Education reports that in the 2004-2005 school year, 1,065 schools were identified for restructuring. Preliminary estimates suggest that an additional 1,000 schools will be identified for restructuring in the 2005-2006 school year.…”