Obama, DC Vouchers, and Lack of Intellectual Honesty

"I will not allow my predispositions to stand in the way of making sure that our kids can learn," Mr. Obama said. "We're losing several generations of kids, and something has to be done."

The statement above came from a February 20, 2008 interview with the editorial board of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Because of an uproar with teachers unions, Obama's campaign at the time tried to step back from the statement. However, Obama didn't totally rescind the earlier statement.

"If there was any argument for vouchers, it was 'Alright, let's see if this experiment works,' and if it does, then whatever my preconceptions, my attitude is you do what works for the kids," the senator said. "I will not allow my predispositions to stand in the way of making sure that our kids can learn. We're losing several generations of kids and something has to be done."

Well, so much for his predispositions...

I have well documented the travails of the DC voucher program: the Congressional Democrats who tried to kill it, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan (historically a supporter of vouchers) hemming and hawing, and Duncan's blatant attempt to hide reserach evidence showing that students in the voucher program have shown significant advancement relative to their peers in the public schools. Not to mention, that improvement was made atone quarter of the cost of the public schools per pupil spending. That's right; they spent less money, and got more results.

Well, all of that didn't matter.

Sec. Duncan has all but hammered the final nail in the coffin of this relatively successful, small program in DC. Families of applicants to the program received mail this week from the Department of Education stating that no new students would be accepted because it is not in the best interest of students and their parents to enroll them in a program that may end a year from now. Congress would have to rescind their previous law to allow the program to continue after 2010, and that seems unlikely.

Compounding matters for these children and their parents is that this late decision leaves them with no alternatives. Previously, they could have at least applied for the number of charter schools in the District. However, the deadline for application to these schools has now passed. So these children will have to go into the general public education pool...a sad alternative, coming from someone who has tutored in those schools.

For Mr. Obama and Mr. Duncan, this is shameful. Obama has never been a voucher supporter, but he has said, as stated above, that he wouldn't allow preconceptions cloud his judgement. It appears that is exactly what he is doing in this case.

As for Duncan, who has voiced support for vouchers in limited use, this basically shows that he is either a shill for the national teachers unions, or is so weak as to be irrelevant in running his own department. If he was really intellectually honest and put students interests before his own political interests, he would have considered tendering his resignation over the issue. I certainly would have.

As usual, Democrats talk a good game but don't back it up. They talk about choice, but the Obama Administration has done more in 3 months to take choice away from poor parents in Washington D.C. than George W. Bush ever did. And what about choice? It's a choice President Obama made when he enrolled his two children in the elite Sidwell Friends School. It's a choice Mr. Duncan had when, after looking at the D.C. schools, he ended up buying a house in Arlington, where good schools are assumed.

Misters Obama and Duncan can blame no one other than themselves. They could have stood up to Congress to hold off killing this program, which cost only about $14 million a year (or 0.000004% of the national budget). Obama during his first 100 days spends that much money on the Federal Government in one single hour. But apparent these 1,800 children are not worth that drop in the bucket.

No, this was clearly done because of politics, pure and simple. This was a gift to liberals and Teachers Unions, who aren't using any rationale other than their own financial needs. Teachers Unions are one of the largest donors to Democrat causes, and who has the courage to kick a gift horse in the mouth? Certainly not President Obama. No, it is clear that issues such as parents' needs, student performance and program effectiveness don't matter next to the political demands of teachers' unions. So much for Barack Obama standing up to vested powers in Washington D.C.