Senate education committee Chairman Lamar Alexander released the following statement commemorating National School Choice Week 2016:
“Since World War II, federal dollars following students to the colleges of their choice have helped build the best system of higher education in the world. We should use this same strategy to create the best K-12 schools and to make sure that all children have access to them. Congress should pass The Scholarship for Kids Act, a bill I introduced in 2014, which would allow states to use $24 billion existing federal dollars to create $2,100 scholarships that would follow 11 million low income children to the schools their parents choose.
A ticket to a good school is the real answer to inequality in America.”
Sen. Alexander continued, “The recently enacted Every Student Succeeds Act strengthens the charter school program to allow for replication and expansion of high-quality charter schools – an area which has provided more educational choices for students, teachers and parents.”
During debate over the Every Child Achieves Act in 2015, Sen. Alexander introduced the Scholarships for Kids Act, but it was defeated by a vote of 45-52.