Jason Chaffetz: “This is the same amendment that Delegate Norton offered to the bill during markup, but it was rejected by the Committee…”

“This is the same amendment that Delegate Norton offered to the bill during markup, but it was rejected by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. The amendment would cap the enrollment of OSP students, the Opportunity Scholarship Program, at 50 percent of the school's population without affecting current voucher students or siblings. The amendment would also restore the randomized controlled study requirement. Mr. Chairman, this program is about opportunity and choice. Parents should be able to choose the best schools for their children, and private schools should have the flexibility to determine whether or not to enroll OSP students. I understand the Delegate's concern that students maintain quality standards. In fact, I share it. That is why H.R. 10 requires participating OSP schools to achieve accreditation no later than 5 years after the passage of the act. This is a more effective way to ensure the quality than by arbitrarily excluding students from the program. Mr. Chairman, the accreditation process required by H.R. 10 will ensure education and administrative quality control. The process will help weed out poor performers from this program without setting a cap on OSP student enrollment. As for the return to the control group evaluation, this is unnecessary for the OSP. The OSP has been rigorously evaluated using the Gold Standard since 2003, and it has demonstrated positive results.…”