Politics

Bush Will Push Voucher Plan

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

January 2, 2001 / 9:09 AM EST / CBS

Top advisers to the president-elect say George W. Bush will stick by his plan to shift federal education money away from failing schools and into the hands of parents.

The word comes as Bush readies an education package for presentation on Capitol Hill, where staunch opposition is likely from congressional Democrats, who support shoring up the public school system.

The most politically sensitive component of the former Texas governor's proposal is his plan to strip federal funds from the worst-performing schools and make them available to parents for private education, tutoring or "whatever offers hope," as he put it.

Using public money to allow students to go to private schools is commonly known as voucher programs, and it is the most divisive issue in Bush's plan, one sure to spark a debate in Congress. Proponents call it school choice.

"School choice is one of the strongest ways we have to educate our children," said Ari Fleischer, spokesman for Bush's transition effort. Bush "believes in school choice and he is going to work hard to enact school choice."

Fleischer disputed a report in Tuesday's Washington Post that Bush is likely to drop the voucher proposal because too many members of Congress oppose it. He said the proposal is "part and parcel of what he believes in."

A top adviser familiar with his Bush's education plan added, "He will press for some choice. What he's saying to Congress is, with federal money, when do we ever say the parent has to be able to do something different?"

The adviser, who spoke on condition of anonymity, brushed aside questions about whether Bush would scale back his voucher proposal.

"The proposals themselves were limited in the first place," the adviser said. "There ain't a lot to scale back."

The government currently spends $7.7 billion on Title I programs to help educate poor children.

Under Bush's plan, every school getting the Title I money would be required to test its impoverished students on basic academics each year.

After three years of no progress, the Title I money would be matched with other federal education money and given to the state, which would set up an education account about $1,500 a year for each affected student.

The parents could choose how to spend the money.

The adviser noted that Bush might be open to discussing a mix of private and public school choice. He noted that Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., has favored public school choice.

Vice President-elect Dick Cheney met with Lieberman, his rival during the presidential campaign, last month to talk about education, among other things.

"I'm confident that both sides are reading each other's material," the aide said. "Lieberman has some ideas, Bush has some ideas, and the Congress is going to have to wrestle with hat."