David Durenberger: “I rise to support the amendment offered by my distinguished colleagues from Indiana and Connecticut which authorizes a…”

“I rise to support the amendment offered by my distinguished colleagues from Indiana and Connecticut which authorizes a limited demonstration of ways of expanding school choices for parents of low-income children--including the option of choosing a nonpublic school. As my colleagues know, my own State of Minnesota has taken the lead nationally in expanding the right of parents to choose which school their children will attend. Minnesota has also been at the forefront of efforts nationally to expand the number and diversity of schools that parents may choose from. Along the way, Minnesotans are redefining what we mean by public education. In Minnesota, for example, public education now includes charter schools--schools that are started and run by parents and teachers under a contract with a local education agency or the State board of education. Several of these schools are designed to serve students with special needs, including students who have not succeeded in a traditional school environment. In Minnesota, public education also includes a program called post-secondary options under which high school juniors and seniors may take college courses at public expense at either a public or private college or technical institute.”