Vouchers Are Back

Vouchers Are Back and There's Gonna Be Trouble: House Speaker John Boehner plans to stir up all kinds of trouble Wednesday, when he will introduce a bill that would bring back the District's school voucher program. You'll recall that two years ago Democrats in Congress successfully limited the program, which allows parents to receive vouchers of up to $7,500 for private school tuition, to current participants. The Post reports that Boehner says he's trying to reopen to the program to new participants in the spirit of bipartisanship. "If the president is sincere about working together on education reform, we should start by saving this successful, bipartisan program that has helped so many underprivileged children get a quality education," says Boehner, who the Post notes has a strong personal interest in the District's voucher program. On that bipartisan note, a majority of the council supported extending the voucher program, including Chairman Kwame Brown. On the other side of the coin is Mayor Vince Gray, who says, "These are decisions that should be made by the residents of the District of Columbia." There probably won't be much drama in Boehner getting his own bill past the House, so the real show will be in the Senate, where Sen. Joseph Lieberman will try to work his magic. Of note: Gray will be at tonight's State of the Union address, sitting in "Gallery 9," while Boehner has invited several pro-voucher folks, including Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl, archbishop of Washington, to attend as well.

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http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/looselips/2011/01/2 5/loose-lips-daily-vouchers-are-back-edition/

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