Congress enacts school choice program for D.C.:

The Institute for Justice, a leading defender of school choice programs reports that “[t]oday, the U.S. Congress passed an omnibus spending bill including authorization for a school choice program for low-income students in the District of Columbia.” According to the details that the IJ put up,

The “D.C. School Choice Incentive Act of 2003” creates a five-year
scholarship program in the nation’s capital for low-income, K-12 students, beginning in the 2004-05 school year. Congress allocated $13 million for the first year of the program and $1 million for related administrative and research expenses — along with $13 million each for D.C. charter schools and D.C. Public Schools to implement Mayor Anthony Williams’ three-sector education improvement initiative. . . .

Student Eligibility: D.C. residents who qualify for the federal free and reduced-cost lunch program (185 percent of poverty, or about $34,000 for a family of four in 2003). About 37,000 children will be eligible. Family income may rise to 200 percent of poverty before the scholarship is revoked. Priority is given to students in public schools “in need of improvement” under No Child Left Behind. The bill also encourages preferences for the lowest income families.

Selection Criteria: Students are accepted on a random basis.

Scholarship Value: Up to $7,500 or cost of tuition and fees, whichever is less. Participating schools may not charge scholarship students more than non-scholarship students.

D.C.P.S. Average Per Pupil Cost: $11,649 in 2000-01[.]

No. of Participants: Approximately 2,000. . . .

Evaluation and Accountability: The Secretary will also commission a five-year longitudinal study to evaluate the academic achievement of scholarship recipients, parent satisfaction, and other issues.

Regulations for Private School Participation: Participating schools may not discriminate against scholarship applicants on the basis of race, religion, or ethnicity. Single-sex schools are allowed. . . .