Blog Archives
On the Fifth Day of Defeating Dick Saslaw…
On the Fifth Day of Defeating Dick Saslaw, YouTube again gave to me…another great clip of his frequent habit to interrupt someone speaking about an issue that he disagrees with…school choice.
We all know that Saslaw is a puppet for the teacher’s unions, so it should come as no surprise that he would be against school choice initiatives. After all, school choice allows the parents to have control over their child’s education. When Del. Jimmie Massie (R-Henrico) delivered his statement before the Senate Finance Committee regarding school choice legislation, Saslaw rudely interrupted Massie and basically cut down the legislation. Additionally, The Family Foundation of Virginia also noted Saslaw’s disdain for school choice.
For the record, Saslaw voted against HB2009, which would have allowed open enrollment for students to attend the school of their choice within their district.
Perhaps, it is time to send someone to Richmond, who would champion school choice legislation in place of Saslaw.
School Choice Tax Credits Causing Contention in Virginia
Could legislation involving school choice tax credits become a hot issue during the General Assembly session? Apparently so. Yesterday, John Taylor, President of Tertium Quids sent out an email regarding his disappointment on Del. Tag Greason’s (R-Loudoun) decision not to sponsor their school choice tax credit legislation. The Tertium Quids legislation was modeled after a study authored by Dr. Adam Schaeffer of the Cato Institute and would provide 100 percent income tax credit for individuals and corporations that spend their own money to help educate a child.
Taylor said in the email:
Now for the bad news. In addition to property rights, Tertium Quids has fought to bring competition and choice to Virginia’s school system. Cato’s Dr. Adam Schaeffer, the author of our policy study on the subject, has drafted a bill that would provide a 100 percent income tax credit for individuals and corporations that spend their own money to help educate a child. His plan is modeled after laws that have been extremely successful and now enjoy broad bipartisan support in both Florida and Pennsylvania.
Delegate Thomas “Tag” Greason (R-32) of Loudoun County contacted us last year about that policy study and our bill. After several frank discussions Del. Greason committed to being our patron in 2011. Unfortunately, with less than three weeks to go before the start of the session, Del. Greason has gone back on his word, allowing some of the more timid members of his party to convince him that this year is not “ideal” for a strong school choice bill. Instead, Del. Greason wants to try yet another “camel’s nose under the tent” approach, the same approach that has utterly failed every year for the past decade.
That’s not political leadership. In fact, Del. Greason and his Republican cohorts seem to have missed the message the grassroots has been sending for the last 18 months. We don’t want any more excuses; we want courageous, principled leaders who are unafraid to get results.
Greason, in an interview, regarding his decision not to support the Tertium Quids legislation
I am actually carrying a Bill (Chief Co-Patron with Del. Jimmie Massie) that pushes VA further on School Choice than we have ever been.
I am a huge proponent of School Choice, and will continue to work hard to make it a reality in Virginia. My goal is to ensure that every child has the ability to benefit from a broad based Universal Tax Credit program, and that every citizen and corporation has the ability to donate their state income tax liability to help pay for the expenses associated with educating a child outside of the Public School System. I will continue to talk about it, learn about it, and convince people of the many benefits that a Tax Credit program can bring to Virginia.
When I began studying this issue….(remember, I am NOT a career politician or a life time legislator, so there is much to learn)….I realized that MANY people had gone before me while working on this issue. Mr. Taylor and I crossed paths somewhere along my journey and we agreed that our goals on Tax Credits were in alignment. Being new to this issue, I accepted what Mr. Taylor had to say, and I gave my WORD that I would study the issue and come back to him to let him know if I would in fact carry the Bill or not. This is the only WORD that I gave to Mr. Taylor…and I kept it.
While Mr. Taylor and I believe in the same end game, we do not necessarily agree on how to get there. And since my approach to solving this problem is not the same as Mr. Taylor’s approach, he has decided to mis-represent our “agreement” and has put into question my “word.” As a graduate of the United States Military Academy, I do not react kindly to someone who questions my integrity and honor…and I certainly do not appreciate it when someone does it dis-honestly, like Mr. Taylor has.
Notwithstanding Mr. Taylor’s attempt to tarnish my reputation, I will continue to fight for what I think is right….in the way I think we can get the best result. I do not pretend to know everything on this or any other subject, but I have done a ton of research and I believe the effort to bring real School Choice to VA will make more progress on this path than on any other.
While I agree with the premise of the legislation proposed by Tertium Quids, I think we need to look at this from a fiscally responsible perspective. If you grant 100 percent tax credit to families, there is the potential that this could cost the state more over time. This could be viewed as another example of an unnecessary government expenditure by many taxpayers, etc. A more appropriate tax credit is being proposed in the legislation co-patroned by both Greason and Massie.
School choice is needed now more than ever, since educational standards in public education continue to decline. Parents should have the opportunity to choose the best education for their children, regardless if it is public or private. There has been successful legislation introduced in both Florida and Pennsylvania regarding tax credits for school choice. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush pointed this out in his Wall Street Journal editorial yesterday, when he said, “Choice is the catalytic converter here, accelerating the benefits of other educational reforms.” Florida’s public schools improved academically due to school choice reforms.
With the success of school choice reforms in Florida and Pennsylvania, the question remains: Will Virginia embrace tax credits for school choice?
D.C. Opportunity Scholarships: Parents and Students Speak Out
As promised, here is the remaining video from yesterday’s Save School Choice Rally in Washington, D.C. These videos feature a parent, two students, who will be directly impacted by the loss of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarships, which allow them to attend their respective schools: Archbishop Carroll and Georgetown Day, and School Choice Activist Virginia Walden Ford, who delivered 7,000 petitions to the White House at the end of the rally.
Parent addressing the audience about the impact that the D.C. Opportunity Scholarships had on her son.
If the D.C. Opportunity Scholarships are eliminated, the future of these two young men could be detrimentally impacted.
Virginia Walden Ford addressing the crowd at the School Choice rally. Stand Up for School Choice and PUT CHILDREN FIRST!!
Children are our future, and this fight will not just impact D.C. It will impact America and the future of ensuring school choice for every parent in our great nation.
Save School Choice: Video from the Event
Yesterday, there were several speakers who spoke to the crowd of students and parents, who rallied in D.C.’s Freedom Plaza to save school choice. Right now, hundreds of D.C. Opportunity Scholarships, which allow students to attend private schools over the lower performing public schools in their neighborhoods, are at stake of being eliminated by President Obama and Congress. Many of these families have talked about the difference this program made in their children, and it is time for President Obama to stand for positive change for children all across this country, who benefit from school vouchers.
Here is some video from the event:
Mya and Ginuwine addressed the crowd at the rally.
Former DC Mayor Anthony Williams addressed the crowd at the rally.
DC Councilman Marion Barry addresses the crowd at the rally.
More video will be coming later this afternoon. If you have some spare time this afternoon, I encourage you to contact the White House and urge President Obama to save the funding for D.C. Opportunity Scholarships. A parent should have the choice to be able to send their child to a higher performing school, and Obama’s decision to eliminate these scholarships show that he does not stand for the parent’s right to choose quality education for their children.
Save School Choice in D.C.
Today, a huge crowd of students and parents alike gathered on Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C. to raise their voices in opposition to President Barack Obama’s decision to eliminate school choice for many students, who receive opportunity scholarships to attend private schools throughout the metropolitan area. D.C. Public Schools have been in decline for several years, along with increases in school violence, do not provide or promote a safe learning environment. Many of the parents who were there at the event supported Barack Obama during the General Election last year, but now, some are beginning to regret their votes. No surprise as Obama promised to campaign on change, except this is not the change many were hoping for.
The event featured noted speakers, such as Former Mayor Anthony Williams, Councilman Marion Barry, R&B artists Mya and Ginuwine, and School Choice activist Virginia Walden Ford. Additionally, parents addressed the crowd saying how this program has helped their child excel in a safe learning environment, and how they fear that their child will have to be placed in an environment not conducive to learning. However, the two speakers, who had the most impact were two students, who attended Archbishop Carroll and Georgetown Day School respectively under the D.C. Opportunity Scholarships. The student from Georgetown Day mentioned how he would like to be President, but his dream might be threatened if he has to attend the local public school due to the violence. (Writer’s Note: Video is being uploaded and will be included in a later edition.)
If Obama can choose to send his children to Sidwell Friends, which is a prestigious private school, then why can’t the parents in Washington, D.C. send their children to the same schools? After all, children are the future and they deserve the same high quality education without being in an unsafe environment. The key thing to remember is that Obama was a product of a scholarship program that allowed him to attend a prestigious private school in Hawaii. Why would Obama deny a child the same opportunity?
