THE CAMEL'S NOSE

Bush Pushing for Vouchers at D.C. Schools (AP, July 01, 2003)

Visiting a public charter school in Washington on Tuesday, Bush planned to push Congress to pass legislation that would create a $15 million voucher program for District of Columbia public school students, spokesman Scott McClellan said. [...]

As the setting for Tuesday's event, the White House selected the KIPP DC: Key Academy in Washington, a college prepatory middle school. The KIPP (which stands for Knowledge is Power Program) schools scattered around the country have won praise for raising test scores among low-income students.

The schools set rigorous behavior and academic effort standards, have nine-hour days and operate 11 months a year.

Bush's target is legislation sponsored by Rep. Thomas Davis, R-Va., that would provide $7,500 a year to lower-income D.C. children enrolled in targeted public schools.

Davis says the program could reach at least 2,000 of the city's about 67,000 public school students.

Bush has proposed $75 million for a national school choice incentive plan to be open to several cities in his 2004 budget.

The issue is a loser with the white middle class, which doesn't want too many black kids moving into their kids schools, so President Bush has to hammer on it in the coming election and put pressure on GOP congressmen to support it against their own political interests. Posted by Orrin Judd at July 1, 2003 11:22 AM