From the office of John Boehner:

Congressman John Boehner (R-West Chester) today condemned a provision tucked into Congressional Democrats’ $410 billion “omnibus” spending bill that would phase out the District of Columbia’s groundbreaking school choice program, which has provided educational opportunities for thousands of inner-city children since it was established with bipartisan support in 2004. Boehner issued the following statement:

“The D.C. school choice program has provided hope for thousands of low-income children in the District of Columbia since it was established, and has been demonstrating results when it comes to parental satisfaction and increased parental involvement. Eliminating this program would represent an irresponsible and shameful act on the part of the Democratic leadership in Congress, and the children of the District of Columbia deserve better.

“The American people, whose hard-earned money is being spent without the transparency and accountability they were promised by the Democratic majority, also deserve better. Nearly three weeks ago, Republicans asked the Democratic leadership to put this bill online so the American people would have adequate time to review it. They declined to do so, and now we know why. What other unpleasant surprises have Democratic congressional leaders tucked into the text of this massive legislation on behalf of their special-interest political allies?”

NOTE: Last December, Boehner joined other GOP colleagues in sending a letter to Democratic leaders on the House and Senate Appropriations Committee urging them to support the program, as passed by the House of Representatives last year. The Heritage Foundation last week released an analysis providing facts about the D.C. school choice program. Boehner, a key supporter of the program, chaired the House Committee on Education & the Workforce at the time the program was established.

School choice is one of those concepts that has always puzzled me. When you boil it down, here's what it means: parents choose which school their kids will attend. The money spent on education would be attached to the student rather than the school, like a college scholarship from an independent foundation. For example, this would allow inner-city parents to send their kids to suburban schools that are safer and provide better education, and the $15,000 per year (or whatever the number is) that would have been spent on that student in the failing inner-city school would be spent on transporting the kid to the suburban school, as well as providing the suburban school with that funding. How is this a bad thing?

Nevertheless, it is almost always those very same inner-city folks who oppose school choice or school voucher programs. The question is: why?

In reality, it's an issue that has little to do with education and everything to do with politics. You see, when you give the parents control over the money spent for their own kids' education, the vast majority will do so wisely in such a way that their kids get the best education possible. That means schools will have to compete to attract students, and that means the union-infested public education system suddenly loses all control. In short, it's the injection of free markets into a socialistic system of central monopolized control. Schools with a good track record and high graduation rates will flourish, and schools with ineffective teachers and bloated administration will close. While that's bad for the lazy and ineffective teachers and schools, it's a tremendous benefit for students. If you follow the link above to the Heritage analysis, you'll see that the Washington, DC program has seen great success and approval from students, parents, and schools alike.

Unfortunately, most unions are composed of the lower educated, less wealthy, and minorities, who are the very same people who have the most to gain from school choice or school voucher programs. But, the unions are in lockstep against almost every effort to enact school choice or school vouchers, and that's the sad irony of the situation.

Just listen to what the kids think:

One final thought on this. Obama recently moved to Washington, DC and put his girls in school. Did they use the public school system? Was it good enough for the First Family? No. The First Daughters are going to a private school that costs almost $30,000 a year.

Actions speak louder than words, don't you think?

There's my two cents.