Dems for School Choice?

Cal Thomas | Syndicated columnist | Published: Jun 22, 2006

Dems for School Choice?

June 23, 2006

Well, what do you know? Democrats have come out in favor of school choice. Some democrats, anyway.

The Arizona legislature is about to wind up its session and will set a record for school-choice legislation. It has enacted four new or expanded programs allowing disadvantaged children to attend private schools. Even more remarkable, as Clint Bolick notes in a Wall Street Journal column, is that the programs have been enacted in a state with a democratic governor.

Bolick, who is president of the alliance for school choice, notes that Arizona is not an aberration. Already this year, a new Iowa corporate scholarship tax credit bill was signed into law by Governor Tom Vilsack; and in Wisconsin, Governor Jim Doyle signed a bill increasing the Milwaukee voucher program by 50 percent. Gov. Ed Rendell may expand Pennsylvania’s corporate scholarship tax credit program, as he did last year. All of these people are democrats.

After stonewalling for years on school choice in order to placate the teachers unions, some democrats are finally getting it. School choice is good for the kids and they should be the primary focus of education.


Cal Thomas is a nationally syndicated columnist based in Washington, D.C.

 

 

Dems for School Choice?