1. President Bush Proposes Vouchers; PTA Reacts
2. Congress Works on Economic Stimulus Package
3. House fails again to override SCHIP veto
4. Spellings announces new online data tool

President Bush Proposes Vouchers; PTA Reacts

On Monday night, President George W. Bush delivered his seventh annual State of the Union address. During his speech, the president called on Congress to authorize $300 million for "Pell Grants for Kids". The program would allow students in low-performing schools to transfer to faith-based and other non-public schools.

 "We have seen how Pell Grants help low-in­come college students realize their full potential," Bush said. "Together, we have expanded the size and reach of these grants. Now, let's apply that same spirit to help liberate poor children trapped in failing public schools."

PTA National President Jan Harp Domene responded swiftly in an open letter to Congress. Stating PTA's firm opposition to the Bush's proposal, Domene maintained that a national voucher program would deprive public schools of critically needed taxpayer funds by diverting those funds to private schools with no taxpayer or educational accountability. "Public funding for education needs to support and improve our nation's public schools," said Domene.

The following statements are excerpts from the letter.

"Vouchers benefit few students while taking scarce resources away from those who need it the most. Vouchers take money away from public schools, where 90 percent of all school-age children are enrolled, and give it to private schools. Public schools must meet federal state and local standards in a broad variety of areas including teacher qualifications, core curriculum and student achievement, and report their status to elected school boards and the taxpaying public. Private schools have no public accountability for the expenditure of public funds."

"If we are serious about keeping America competitive, we must be equally serious about our support of education. If we want student achievement to continue to rise, high-school graduation and college enrollment to increase, and the student drop-out rate to decrease, there is no better investment than public education. Children succeed when families, schools and communities work together. Together, we can make every child's potential a reality."

Click here to view the full open letter to Congress.

Tell your Senators and Representative that public funds must remain with public schools. Click here to access PTA's Action Alert on vouchers and send an email to your members of Congress.

Congress Works on Economic Stimulus Package

On Tuesday, the House voted overwhelmingly for a $145.9 billion economic stimulus package. The plan would provide payments for 117 million families, ranging from $300 for individuals with wage income as low as $3,000 up to $1,200 for married couples, plus $300 per child. The bipartisan legislation, supported by the White House, also features nearly $50 billion in business incentives, designed to encourage companies to make investments, as well as provisions aimed at bolstering the housing market. Details of the plan can be read on the Speaker of the House's website.

The House bill is unlikely to become law without several significant modifications. Senator Max Baucus of Montana, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, released his own $156 billion economic stimulus proposal on Monday. Baucus's plan would provide $500 to the poorest workers and would include poor seniors. Baucus's plan also extends unemployment benefits for the long-term jobless by 13 weeks, a proposal also not included in the House bill.

Other senators have stated that they will add to Baucus's proposal when it comes to the Senate floor. Senators have promised to add heating assistance for the poor, food-stamp money, more business tax incentives and road-resurfacing funds, among other items. After the Senate has approved its stimulus package, the House and Senate bills will need to be reconciled in conference.

House fails again to override SCHIP veto

Last week, the House failed to override President Bush's veto of a second attempt to reauthorize and ex­pand the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Twice, Congress passed legislation significantly expanding the program, passing legislation increasing SCHIP's annual funding from about $5 billion to $12 billion annually for the next five years.  President Bush vetoed both bills, saying that the legislation would expand the program beyond its initial intent. Congress was unable to override the first veto in October by 13 votes.

In order to keep the program's authorization from expiring, Congress crafted a simple extension of the law, pushing a full reauthorization into the next Congress.  While the current extension does not expand as far as some hoped, it does include some additional funding to address expected shortfalls in state funding for SCHIP.  President Bush signed the extension into law at the end of December. The extension runs through March 2009. 

Spellings announces new online data tool

Earlier this month, Education Secretary Margaret Spellings unveiled the "National Dashboard," an online mapping tool that allows the public to view Education Department data about state progress on various indicators, includ­ing graduation rates, reading proficiency, and participa­tion in supplemental tutoring.

Information about 21 states plus the District of Co­lumbia is available, with more states to be added. The full data map is available online.

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