Dianne Feinstein: “the Mayor has asked for a 5-year pilot. He said it would be for the less affluent. They are defined by families of 4 at…”

“the Mayor has asked for a 5-year pilot. He said it would be for the less affluent. They are defined by families of 4 at 185 percent of poverty. This is a family of 4 that earns $34,000 a year, or below, and these children would be given priority by lottery to have an opportunity to go to another school. It is like a golden key. It gives them an opportunity to try something else. It is voluntary. Nobody is forced to do it. Why is everybody so threatened by it? No one is forced to do it. If a family wants to try it, this provides them with that opportunity. Again, these are schools identified for improvement, corrective action, or restructuring. That is the language from the bill. And priority is given to students and families who lack financial resources to take advantage of educational opportunities. That is the language in the bill. So for $7,500 a child, 2,000 youngsters will have an opportunity to try this, to see if it makes a difference. It might offer some smaller classes, or uniforms; it might offer more attention; it might offer an easier learning environment; it may offer better discipline. Certainly, there will be some curriculum changes. There will certainly be more emphasis on reading, writing, and arithmetic--the basics, if you will.”