Former allies on school choice now divided by Trump budget
Source: Associated Press
Geoff Mulvihill, Associated Press
Updated 4:21 pm, Wednesday, May 24, 2017
President Donald Trump's budget proposal to provide federal tax money for private-school scholarships is getting pushback from an unconventional source: groups known for promoting school-choice initiatives.
The plan promoted by Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVoswidened a divide in the school-choice movement and brought swift condemnation from people who support more competition for public schools in the form of charter schools but oppose sending tax money to private institutions.
"I think it's an affront to the American dream," said Jonah Edelman, CEO of the pro-charter group Stand for Children, which planned to align with a frequent adversary, one of the nation's largest teachers unions, to oppose the plan.
The administration's budget proposal sets aside $250 million for the scholarships. That's a tiny sliver of the $4.1 trillion spending plan released Tuesday, but if approved it would mark the first time the federal government has helped pay private-school tuition for K-12 students in a nationwide program.
Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/education/article/Former-allies-on-school-choice-now-divided-by-11170813.php
