We mourn the death of J. Patrick Rooney, a pioneer of the voucher movement. His privately funded efforts were the antecedent of modern scholarship tax credits. These days, there are tax credit programs six states helping thousands of parents find the appropriate school environment for their child. "When all families, no matter how poor, have the freedom to walk away from bad schools," Rooney once said, "competition will force the public schools to improve." He died September 15, 2008 at the age of 80. Tributes can be found here, here, and here.
