2015: Schweikert Voted Against The FY 2016 Budget Resolution Which Calls For The Elimination And Streamlining K-12 Programs And Allowing Federal Education Aid Portable. In March 2015, Schweikert voted against the FY 2016 budget resolution which calls for the elimination and streamlining K-12 programs and allowing federal education aid portable. According to Congressional Quarterly, the resolution, "includes funding for Education Department, employment and training programs within the Labor Department and social services programs within the Health and Human Services Department, as well as funding for other independent agencies and activities. The budget calls for $88.2 billion in discretionary budget authority for these activities in FY 2016. The committee calls for reorganizing and streamlining the Education Department's K-12 programs to eliminate and reduce programs in order to increase efficiency and give more power to state and local education agencies, as well as to give students and families more choice --- in part by making federal education aid portable." The vote was on the budget resolution. The House passed the resolution 228 to 199. The budget resolution died in the Senate, but a similar concurrent resolution did pass both Houses. [House Vote 142, 3/25/15; Congressional Quarterly, 3/23/15; Congressional Actions, S. Con. Res. 11; Congressional Actions, H. Con. Res. 27]
2015: Schweikert Voted Against A FY 2016 Budget Resolution Which Calls For The Elimination And Streamlining K-12 Programs And Allowing Federal Education Aid Portable. In March 2015, Schweikert voted against a FY 2016 Budget Resolution which calls for the elimination and streamlining K-12 programs and allowing federal education aid portable. According to Congressional Quarterly, the resolution, "includes funding for Education Department, employment and training programs within the Labor Department and social services programs within the Health and Human Services Department, as well as funding for other independent agencies and activities. The budget calls for $88.2 billion in discretionary budget authority for these activities in FY 2016. The committee calls for reorganizing and streamlining the Education Department's K-12 programs to eliminate and reduce programs in order to increase efficiency and give more power to state and local education agencies, as well as to give students and families more choice --- in part by making federal education aid portable." The vote was on the adopting the substitute amendment. The House passed the amendment 219 to 208 and later passed the budget resolution. The budget resolution died in the Senate, but a similar concurrent resolution did pass both Houses. [House Vote 141, 3/25/15; Congressional Quarterly, 3/23/15; Congressional Actions, S. Con. Res. 11; Congressional Actions, H. Amdt. 86; Congressional Actions, H. Con. Res. 27]
2015: Schweikert Voted For A FY 2016 Budget Resolution Which Calls For The Elimination And Streamlining K-12 Programs And Allowing Federal Education Aid Portable. In March 2015, Schweikert voted for a FY 2016 Budget Resolution which calls for the elimination and streamlining K-12 programs and allowing federal education aid portable. According to Congressional Quarterly, the resolution, "includes funding for Education Department, employment and training programs within the Labor Department and social services programs within the Health and Human Services Department, as well as funding for other independent agencies and activities. The budget calls for $88.2 billion in discretionary budget authority for these activities in FY 2016. The committee calls for reorganizing and streamlining the Education Department's K-12 programs to eliminate and reduce programs in order to increase efficiency and give more power to state and local education agencies, as well as to give students and families more choice --- in part by making federal education aid portable." The vote was on the adopting the substitute amendment. The House rejected the amendment 105 to 319. The House later adopted a substitute amendment identical to this except for a change in defense spending and then later passed the budget resolution. The budget resolution died in the Senate, but a similar concurrent resolution did pass both Houses. [House Vote 140, 3/25/15; Congressional Quarterly, 3/23/15; Congressional Quarterly, 3/30/15; Congressional Actions, S. Con. Res. 11; Congressional Actions, H. Amdt. 85; Congressional Actions, H. Con. Res. 27]
2016: Schweikert Voted To Reauthorize The Scholarships For Opportunity And Results Program, Which Provides Funding For D.C. Public Schools, Charter Schools And Private Schools Vouchers. In April 2016, Schweikert voted for a bill that would have, according to Congressional Quarterly, "reauthorize[d] the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results (SOAR) program at current funding ($60 million annually) through fiscal 2021. The bill would [have] equally split funding between D.C. public schools, D.C. charter school expansions and the Opportunity Scholarship program. Additionally, the bill would [have] prohibit[ed] a limitation on the number of students eligible for receiving scholarships under the program, and would repeal a section of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016 (PL 114-113) that limits the SOAR scholarship program to students of schools that meet certain requirements." The vote was on passage. The House passed the measure by a vote of 224 to 181. The Senate took no substantive action on the legislation. [House Vote 179, 4/29/16; Congressional Quarterly, 4/29/16; Congressional Actions, H.R. 4901]
The Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Provides Federal Funding For D.C. Public Schools, Charter Schools And Provides Vouchers For Certain D.C. Students To Attend Private Schools. According to a Statement of Administration Policy, "H.R. 4901 would reauthorize the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results (SOAR) Act, which provides Federal support for improving traditional public schools in the District of Columbia (D.C.), expanding and improving high-quality D.C. public charter schools, and offering private school vouchers to a limited number of students. While the Administration continues to strongly oppose the private school vouchers program within this legislation, known as the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, the Administration will continue to use available SOAR Act funds to support students returning to the program until they complete school, so that their education is not disrupted." [Statement Of Administration Policy, 4/27/16]
Legislation Would Allow Vouchers To Go To Students Already Attending Private Schools. According to a Statement of Administration Policy, "In addition, H.R. 4901 would extend this voucher program to students already attending private schools, thereby replacing existing private resources with public ones." [Statement Of Administration Policy, 4/27/16]
Koch Brothers Backed Organization, American For Prosperity, Urged Representatives To Vote Yes And Included The Vote In Their Annual Scorecard. [Americans for Prosperity, 114th Congress Scorecard]
2015: Schweikert Voted To Reauthorize The D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, Which Provides Funds For D.C. Students To Attend Private Schools. In October 2015, Schweikert voted for reauthorizing D.C. school vouchers. According to Congressional Quarterly, the legislation would have "reauthorize[d] the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, which provides scholarships to D.C. students to cover tuition and other expenses to attend private schools. Specifically, the bill would [have] extend[ed] through fiscal 2021 the current annual authorization level of $60 million, evenly split among the program, D.C. public school improvement and D.C. public charter school expansion. The bill would [have] require[d] private schools to be accredited or be seeking accreditation to be eligible to participate in the program and would bar the Education Department from limiting student eligibility based on certain factors, such as the school the student previously attended." The vote was on passage. The House passed the bill by a vote of 240 to 191. The took no substantive action on the legislation. [House Vote 559, 10/21/15; Congressional Quarterly, 10/21/15; Congressional Actions, H.R. 10]
Legislation Would Expand The Program To Allow Students Who Were Already Attending Private Schools. According to a Statement of Administration Policy, "In addition, H.R. 10 would extend this voucher program to a new population of students previously attending private schools." [Statement of Administration Policy, 10/20/15]
The Opportunity Scholarship Program Is Designed To Provide Federal Vouchers To D.C. Students In Order To Attend Private Schools. According to Congressional Quarterly, "The Opportunity Scholarship Program is a federally funded program under which eligible students in Washington, D.C., can receive vouchers to attend private schools and is the nation's only federally funded private school voucher program. The program was established in 2003 (PL 108-99) when current House Speaker John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, was chairman of the Education and the Workforce Committee. The program expired in 2009 but was renewed in 2011 (PL 112-10) as the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results (SOAR) Act. Absent congressional action, it will expire again at the end of FY 2016." [Congressional Quarterly, 10/16/15]
To Be Eligible, The Student's Family Must Meet Certain Income Eligibility Requirements. According to Congressional Quarterly, "The goal of the program is to provide scholarships to students so they can attend private schools that they otherwise could not afford. To be eligible for a scholarship, the student's family must be residents of Washington, D.C.; the student must be at least 5 years old; and the family must meet income eligibility requirements such as being current SNAP (food stamp) recipients or earning less than 185% of the poverty threshold. Once a student is in the program, the family's income level can rise to 300% of the poverty threshold." [Congressional Quarterly, 10/16/15]
National Education Association: Most Vouchers Do Not Fully Cover Tuition And Private Schools Do Not Help The Students Most In Need. According to the National Education Association, "Most vouchers still do not cover the full cost of private school tuition. In 64 percent of the participating schools, tuition exceeds the voucher cap. In light of this reality, the program can ultimately only help students from families with the means to make up the difference. Vouchers still do not help kids most in need. While 69 percent of the students who apply for vouchers live in wards 1, 5, 7, and 8 (the least affluent areas of the city), less than half (43 percent) of the participating schools are located there. Many voucher students do not come from public schools labeled "in need of improvement," but from other public---or even private---schools. If the program's true goal is to lift up kids in poverty and expand their educational opportunities, it fails to do so. [National Education Association, 10/8/18]
Private Schools Are Not Subject To Federal Civil Rights Laws That Most Public Schools Are Bound By. According to the U.S. Department of Education via the National Education Association, "Vouchers deprive students of important rights and protections. Private schools that participate in the DC voucher program receive public money, but they are not subject to all the federal civil rights laws that public schools must meet---they may discriminate against a student based on his or her gender, disability, religion, economic background, national origin, academic record, English language ability, or disciplinary history. Students with special needs who use vouchers lose many rights granted by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and may not have the protection of an individualized education plan. As a result, a significant number of students with special needs reject vouchers or leave voucher schools because they fail to provide essential services (Evaluation of the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program, U.S. Department of Education, June 2010)." [National Education Association, 10/8/18]
2015: Schweikert Voted For An Amendment That Would Have Allowed States To Receive Education Funding As A Block Grant And Then Require Those States To Allocate An Equal Share Of Funding To Private Schools. In July 2015, Schweikert voted for amendment that would allow states to receive federal education funds in the form of a block grant and thus must allocate an equal portion to private schools. According to Congressional Quarterly, the amendment would have, "allow[ed] states to receive federal education funds in the form of a block grant to be used for any education purpose under state law. States operating under a block grant must assess student achievement and must disseminate disaggregated student performance data. The amendment would also require that a state receiving federal education funds as a block grant must ensure that private schools receive an equitable portion of that funding." The underlying bill would have, according to Congressional Quarterly, "reauthorize[d] the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) and would make fundamental changes to many of its programs through Fiscal 2019." The vote was on the amendment. The House rejected the amendment 195 to 235. [House Vote 419, 7/8/15; Congressional Quarterly, 7/8/15; Congressional Quarterly, 7/8/15; Congressional Record, 7/8/15; Congressional Actions, H. Amdt. 639; Congressional Actions, H.R. 5]
Think Progress: History Shows Block Granting Results In Program Cuts. According to Think Progress, "Given the freedom that usually comes with block grants, [the states] could make many choices in implementing them. But ultimately the reform would mean a severe cut, if past experience is any guide. [...] Of the 11 major programs created with block grants in recent decades, eight have shrunk. Some of the declines are severe: Title 1 funding, or Education for the Disadvantaged, has fallen 115 percent since it was created, while the Social Services Block Grant has fallen 87 percent and the Community Development Block Grant, Home Investment Partnership Program, and the Training and Employment Services Block Grants have all seen declines around 60 percent." [Think Progress, 3/18/15]
Rep. Robert Scott (D-VA): Amendment Would Have The Nation Revert To Pre-1965 Funding Inequality For Low-Income Schools. In a floor speech, Rep. Scott said, "the ESEA passed in 1965 because States and localities were not equitably funding the schools. The ESEA required the money to be spent primarily in the areas with a concentration of low-income families. If this amendment passes, we can reasonably assume that they will go back to the way they were doing it. This makes a bad bill even worse. So I would hope that we would defeat the amendment and keep the requirement that the States, in using the money, address the fiscal inequalities and achievement gaps. With this amendment, there are no requirements that they do anything, and we can reasonably assume that they would go back to doing the things they were doing to begin with before the ESEA passed. I would hope we would defeat this amendment." [Congressional Record, 7/8/15]