Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman from Maryland for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise to join my colleagues in opposition to H.R. 471, the D.C. voucher bill. While I share the same commitment to improving the quality of education here in D.C., in Chicago, and throughout the Nation, as a staunch supporter of public schools I strongly disagree with vouchering public dollars to private schools and institutions. I do not believe that the D.C. public schools should become experimental labs for the rest of the Nation. As I have stated previously on a number of occasions, paying for school vouchers translates into fewer taxpayer dollars for traditional public schools which have the responsibility to educate all, and I emphasize, all of the children. Improving public education in the District of Columbia, as in the rest of the Nation, has been and continues to be a long and arduous task. It is an absolute priority of mine. However, now is not the time to abandon our obligation to ensure top-notch public education for all students by shifting Federal dollars to private schools. I understand and commend the Federal Government for playing a critical role in providing the District with badly needed funding for improving education since 2004. {time} 1440 But I have never found any conclusive evidence that vouchers have increased achievement, nor have I seen any evidence in any study that an overall school district has improved as a result of vouchers.…”