House Votes to Reauthorize Washington, D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program

Bipartisan vote a victory for parents and children of Washington, D.C.

The American Federation for Children, the nation’s voice for educational choice, issued the following statement regarding passage of H.R. 10, the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results (SOAR) Act. The House passed H.R. 10 with a bipartisan vote.
“Today’s passage of the SOAR Act is a victory for the children of the District, especially children from low-income families who rely on the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP) to attend a quality school of their parents’ choice,” said John Schilling, Chief Operating Officer of the American Federation for Children. “With D.C. OSP graduation rates of 90 percent – more than 30 percent higher than traditional public school students – and nearly 90 percent of those graduates enrolling in college, it’s clear that this educational option is producing real and positive results.”
The DC OSP has a proven track record of helping families most in need. Ninety eight percent of participants would otherwise be zoned for a failing school; more than 97 percent of students are African-American and Hispanic; and the average family income of participating students is less than $22,000 per year. More than 6,100 children have received scholarships and more than 16,000 have applied over the life of the program.
“We wish to thank members of House of Representatives for supporting the D.C. OSP, and Speaker John Boehner in particular for his long standing commitment to the children of Washington, D.C.,” said Betsy DeVos, chairman of the American Federation for Children. “Speaker Boehner has been a tremendous champion for this cause and we’re hopeful that Congress will continue to defend parental choice in Washington, D.C.”
For more on the reauthorization and the DC OSP: http://bit.ly/1Nhdjaf

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