Ways and Means Holds Hearing on Education Funding and School Choice

On October 25, the House Ways and Means Committee held a hearing, “Educational Freedom & Opportunity for American Families, Students, and Workers.” In his opening remarks, Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO) asserted that students are failing in public schools and parents should have the right to public and private options that best suit the needs of their children. Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) countered that public schools “bind communities together, and what we need is Republicans and Democrats working together to strengthen public education, not destroy it.” A letter submitted to the Committee in advance of the hearing by the National Coalition for Public Education, co-signed by 42 member organizations including the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), expressed strong opposition to school voucher programs and the de facto vouchers described as tuition tax credits. Countering Chairman Smith’s assertions, the letter clarifies that students with disabilities are especially underserved by voucher systems. Remarking that vouchers assign the choice to private schools, not to the students and their parents, the letter states, “Despite receiving public funds, voucher schools do not abide by the same civil rights requirements as public schools, including those in Title VI and Title IX of the Civil Rights Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).” 

Access the hearing and supporting materials here.

View the letter from the NCPE here.