Johnson Applauds Inclusion of D.C. School Choice Funding in Spending Bill

WASHINGTON — Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, praised the inclusion of funding for the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program in the bill to continue funding of federal programs.  As chairman of the Senate committee with jurisdiction over the District of Columbia, Johnson worked to ensure that the scholarships to enable low-income families to attend a quality school of their choice was included in the deal.

Under the agreement, the Department of Education will be required to release over $30 million in unspent funds to the school choice program in the federal district.  The agency denied these funds to the program, hindering families’ ability to access better educational opportunities.

“I am pleased that we were able to force the Department of Education to comply with the law and release these funds through the spending deal,” said Johnson. “Now more families in the District of Columbia will have the opportunity to provide a better future for their children. While this corrects the politically motivated attack by the Obama administration on families’ options through the federal school choice program, it is vital that the next Congress fully reauthorize this valuable program.  I am proud to support families’ ability to choose the education that best suits their children, an idea that continues to demonstrate its success in Washington with higher graduation rates and increasing demand from families.”   

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