On the recordMarch 31, 2011
Yesterday, House leadership pushed through H.R. 471. I voted ``no'' because it does nothing to create jobs, hurts public education, and adds to the national deficit. We have been back to work in the House for 13 weeks, and for 13 straight weeks the Republican majority has done nothing to create jobs. They haven't even put a single jobs bill on the House floor. In fact, their proposed spending bill actually costs America 700,000 jobs. Now, Speaker Boehner has brought his own pet project bill to the House floor that imposes his desire to privatize public education in the District of Columbia, and he doesn't even represent the District. This bill would reauthorize the failed Washington, D.C., private school voucher program and open it to new students, funneling millions in new Federal spending to private schools at taxpayer expense. And yet, for the last 5 years, the voucher program has proven to be flawed and ineffective. The voucher program has not been successful in raising student academic achievement. It has had no impact on student motivation and engagement. The program has had no effect on student satisfaction with their schools or on whether students view their schools as safe and orderly. And voucher students were less likely to have access to important services, such as programs for English language learners, programs for students with learning problems, counseling, and tutoring. Vouchers are an experiment that has been tried and has failed.…
