Ann Marie Buerkle: “Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 471, the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results…”

“Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 471, the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Act, because today I stand here not only as a Member of Congress but also as a mother of six children and a grandmother of 11. I know from personal experience the process that parents follow when they're choosing which school is the best choice for their children. Each child has different needs, different strengths. And as a parent reaches out to make that choice, we can realize that school choice is not cookie cutter. It should not and it must not be. And who better to make that decision than the parents of that child? Who knows best the needs of that student? Certainly, not the government bureaucracy. The SOAR Act is about empowering parents to make the choice that's best for their own child. The Act is about giving them the freedom to pursue educational opportunities not available to them in failing public schools. The parents of the D.C. public school children deserve the same opportunities as Members of Congress, the Secretary of Education, and the President of the United States. Sadly, the parents of the children in the D.C. voucher program do not have the ability to pick up and move elsewhere for better public schools, and they can't afford private schools. The D.C. system needs substantial and sustained reform, but that reform process does not have to come at the expense of the children who live in the District.…”