Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman. This bill, the SOAR Act, reestablishes a program to send D.C. students to private elementary and secondary schools. The main issue that I struggle with, that this body needs to struggle with, with regard to this measure is the justification for pushing Federal will onto Washington, D.C., which is counter to local control over education, a concept that has broad bipartisan support. One of my top priorities in this body is to improve our education system--ensure that every child has an effective teacher in a classroom, improve accountability for all schools, and provide a pathway to college and careers for lifelong success. To be clear, the overall state of the schools in Washington, D.C., is a disgrace. A recent Education Week study showed a 48.8 percent on-time graduation rate. Frankly, we as Americans should be ashamed. We need to do better, the Americans who live here in Washington, D.C. Yet it's absurd, Madam Speaker, that we as elected officials from 50 States are executing a right to determine how schools are funded in a jurisdiction that doesn't even have a vote in this body. I'm a Representative of part of one State, Colorado, and yet here I am in a position to make school funding decisions on behalf of Washington, D.C., students. We wouldn't do this to Colorado, Ohio, or any other State. A district near mine in the State of Colorado, Douglas County School District, recently enacted a district-wide voucher program. The residents of D.C.…”