October 21, 2015
Kara Kerwin, president of The Center for Education Reform (CER), issued the following statement on the passage of the SOAR Act (H.R. 10) by the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 240-191 late this afternoon:
“Lawmakers should be commended for cutting through the false rhetoric surrounding one of the most important programs for D.C. students and reauthorizing the Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP) via the SOAR Act.
“The tangible and intangible benefits of the D.C. OSP are clear. In addition to scholarship students graduating at 93 percent, a much higher rate than D.C.’s traditional public schools, parents of voucher students report high levels of satisfaction with their children’s schools.
“The SOAR Act reauthorizes an important three-sector approach that provides $60 million overall, or $20 million each for the D.C. OSP, public charter schools, which educate nearly half of D.C. students, and traditional public schools. Parents being able to have a say in their children’s education thanks to choices from vouchers and public charter schools has without a doubt helped improve student outcomes and uplift the quality of education in our nation’s capital.
“Thank you to all in the House demonstrating bipartisan commitment to families and students in D.C., and I urge the Senate to follow suit with swift passage.”