Tomorrow is a big day in Washington, D.C. I’m not talking about any big speeches by the President regarding overseas kinetic military actions or about Republicans and Democrats fighting it out over federal spending cuts.
On Wednesday the U.S. House of Representatives is slated to vote on the SOAR Act, which would restore and expand the popular and successful D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program (DCOSP). The Obama administration and many members of Congress began shutting down private school choice in the nation’s capital in 2009. But it’s never too late to keep hoping. (Update, 3/30: Flypaper’s Mike Petrilli highlights the disingenuous nature of the Administration’s opposition to reauthorizing the D.C. voucher program, while redefinED points to a new Washington Post editorial in support of the effort to bring back private school choice to the nation’s capital.)
Maybe the inspiring stories of moms like Vivian Butler shamed Congress into action. Maybe some of our Representatives finally got around to reading the quietly-acclaimed evaluation of the DCOSP’s successful results. I don’t know the motivations and I don’t know what the outcome of the vote will be, but you can guess which side I come down on. Unless you’re working for a specific political lobby of adult interests, the decision is a no-brainer.
In case you need a little inspiration, here’s a one-minute flashback from a couple years ago:
A longer video presentation called “Let Me Rise” is also available at the Voices for School Choice site, if you have a half-hour to spare. Keep hope alive!