Copyright 1999 P.G. Publishing Co.
Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette
October 22, 1999, Friday, 31REGION 24 EDITION
SECTION: WORLD, Pg. A-6
LENGTH: 692 words
HEADLINE:
HOUSE RENEWS SCHOOL AID FOR POOR, REJECTS TUITION VOUCHERS LOS ANGELES TIMES
BYLINE: (DAL) BY RICHARD T. COOPER
DATELINE: WASHINGTON -
BODY:
The House, in a rare display of bipartisan agreement on education,
yesterday voted overwhelmingly to approve the strongest requirements for higher
standards and accountability ever imposed by the federal government on local
schools serving poor and disadvantaged students.
And, in a stinging
rebuff to Majority Leader Dick Armey, R-Texas, and other conservatives, more
than 50 Republicans joined Democrats in rejecting proposals to offer vouchers
for private school tuition to students in failing or violent schools, even on a
limited basis.
The bipartisan bill, which tracks closely with what the
Senate is expected to approve, renews a 34-year-old "Great Society" program that
channels federal funds into the vast majority of U.S. school districts.
But in renewing for five years the massive Title I of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the
House bill would stiffen requirements for higher academic achievement by
disadvantaged students. It also would toughen qualifications for teachers'
aides, who play a key role in many classrooms in poor areas but often lack
college training.
And, seeking to put public pressure on schools where
student achievement continues to lag far behind state and national standards,
the measure would order local officials to issue detailed report cards on test
scores and other measures of success, permitting parents to monitor school
performance.
The bill would require prompt notice to parents if their
children are attending low-performing schools or are taught by teachers who lack
professional qualifications. It would give parents the right, and limited
federal aid, to move their children to better public schools.
Though the
bill echoes the theme of greater accountability that has become the mantra of
GOP governors and education reformers, yesterday's voting also reflected a
lingering ideological split among Republicans. The lopsided vote, 358-67,
demonstrated that moderate Republicans, who often bow to the wishes of House
leaders on less sensitive issues, are willing to buck them on education, which
polls show is a core concern of voters.
A breakdown of the numbers
showed that moderate Republicans supported the bipartisan bill, with 157 of 223
Republicans voting for it. But they also joined Democrats in raising next year's
authorized funding to $ 9.9 billion, adding $ 1.5 billion to the 8 percent
increase already provided in the original bill.
Not only did moderates
refuse to follow conservative leaders, but they also forced conservatives to
retreat on what one House aide called "the flagship piece" of the conservatives'
education agenda, a companion bill called "Straight A's." That bill, endorsed by
the GOP-controlled House Education and Workforce Committee as a companion bill
to Title I, would permit states to opt out of Title I's accountability.
Instead, with minimal supervision from Washington, states could receive
aid funds as block grants for almost any educational purpose they choose -
without necessarily targeting disadvantaged students, as Title I has always
required.
Originally, "Straight A's" was to have come to the floor
immediately after Title I and was considered likely to pass, though by a
narrower margin. But when moderate Republicans who had supported the bill in
committee spread the word that they could not do so on the floor, "Straight A's"
sponsors stepped back. They turned it into a proposal for a limited pilot
program.
The 60 Republicans who voted against the Title I bill were
chiefly conservatives who considered its accountability features a violation of
local control of schools.
Indeed, Republicans were so divided that more
Democrats ended up supporting the bill than Republicans. Democratic support
reflects not only continuing support for federal help to the poor but also a
seismic shift in philosophy. Initially uneasy about the accountability movement,
Democrats - and the teachers unions that often support them - now strongly favor
the concept. In part that's because the conservative alternative to improving
public schools through accountability is vouchers to send students to private
schools.
LOAD-DATE: December 16, 1999
