Editor’s note: Last week, Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) sponsored an amendment that would have allowed Title I dollars to follow low-income children to the schools of their choice. It failed, 45–51. Still, we found his speech to be a particularly eloquent case for school choice generally. The transcript from the Congressional Record follows; we recommend watching it as well.
Mr. President, I rise today regarding my amendment No. 2132, specifically targeting an opportunity to improve education for those kids attending Title I schools. This is a portability amendment. As we debate this Education bill, we must ensure our focus is in the right place. Education policy is not about protecting a bureaucracy, it should not be about empowering Washington, and it cannot be about an endless, fruitless push for some sort of one-size-fits-all type of system. This conversation must be about kids—5-year-olds and 15-year-olds—and their unlimited potential.
I believe without question that each and every child has within them a reservoir of potential. We should make sure that the access to experiencing the fullness of their potential is available to all Americans throughout this country. Too many of our Nation’s children today do not have access to quality education. They don’t have access to the education they deserve.
Now, more than half of the students in our Nation’s public schools come from low-income households. This is an important point. As someone who grew up in poverty, as someone who grew up in a single-parent household, I know full well the challenges that come with poverty. Poor kids too often move a lot. By the time I was in the fifth grade, I had attended four different schools—four schools in my first 5 years of education. That is 4 different administrators, 4 different sets of teachers, 4 different funding streams— probably 40 different funding streams. So when we look at this through the eyes of a poor kid or if we look at this through the eyes of a single mother who is struggling simply to make ends meet, it seems very clear to me that providing more educational options is the right path forward for us to make sure every child everywhere experiences their full potential.
Giving States the ability to provide portability for the Title I dollars— school choice for those most in need— is the kind of reform our kids deserve. It is the kind of reform they need. I don’t care whether it is public, private, charter, virtual, home school; I don’t really care what option as long as we have all the options so that the parents find the best for their kids. Instead of forcing funds through red tape and bureaucracy, let’s have it directly follow our students.
We are not talking about all the school funding this amazing Nation provides—somewhere around $700 billion of funding for schools. We are talking about a sliver— about 14 percent. Let that 14 percent of the Federal dollars—let those dollars be portable. Give the children in Title I areas the greatest opportunity for success we know as a nation.
We all understand and appreciate the fact that to achieve the American dream today, it requires a quality education. By backpacking those funds, we will help kids who are like I used to be—growing up in difficult circumstances—to look into their own future with hope, understanding that opportunity lives and breathes everywhere in America. We are seeing what happens when the majority of parents simply do not have those basic options, and we are seeing it in some challenging and stunning statistics.
In 2010, there were 2.8 million high school dropouts between the ages of 16 and 24. The unemployment rate in America today is around 5.2 percent, but for those kids who dropped out, the unemployment rate is 29 percent, and nearly 36 percent—more than a third of those students—were not participating at all in the workforce. Taken as a whole, nearly two-thirds of all high school dropouts are simply not working. These are devastating numbers for our Nation as a whole. No matter where one lives in America, one is impacted by these statistics, and they should cause us to stand up and take notice.
These are students who deserve better, students who just need a little confidence in their abilities, and we can provide that through school choice. These kids, trapped in failing schools and underperforming schools, deserve an opportunity. It is simply not fair to our children, it is not fair to their parents, and it is not fair to America to allow the status quo to remain. I know there is no silver bullet, but school choice is a large step—a leap—in the right direction. That is one of the reasons why I launched my Opportunity Agenda with school choice, the CHOICE Act, as a part of the foundation. That is why I am standing here today discussing—pleading with my colleagues to take a serious look at the educational opportunities available in some of the poorest ZIP Codes in America.
I think it is important to note that my amendment complements a growing body of evidence where we see 57 school choice programs in 29 States—57 school choice programs in 29 States— not in the South primarily, but in the South, yes; the Southwest, yes; the Northeast, absolutely; and the Midwest, yes. Local and State leaders are figuring out that when parents have a choice, kids have a chance.
Let me be crystal clear. It is absolutely paramount that we act and that we act now. I know opponents of school choice want to use ‘‘voucher’’ as a dirty word. I understand the tactics of those who do not support giving every child a quality opportunity. I understand. But they forget that the Federal Government already authorizes vouchers for education. We just call them Pell grants. Too often too many of our poor kids and our kids of color never receive a Pell grant because their high schools did not prepare them for college.
Now we know there are quality public schools all over this country, and we should celebrate the success of our quality public schools. I am a big fan of our public schools when they work, but I am a bigger fan of removing the potential traps to our kids in underperforming schools. We can make a difference, we should make a difference, and this amendment provides us the opportunity to make that difference today. We don’t have to wait until tomorrow. We don’t have to wait until next year. We can do it today.
You see, this Senator took a Pell grant to Charleston Southern University, probably the greatest university in the history of the country. Charleston Southern University, a private university, is where I took my Pell grant and experienced a wonderful education. Faith and hope are two of the most powerful and necessary emotions. They oftentimes serve as the glue to better opportunity. We can restore those two powerful emotions in areas where kids too often are losing hope. This Senator knows that personally. This Senator has seen it happen personally in his own life. That is the power of school choice.
All of our kids—yes, all of our kids— have amazing potential. I believe there are good people on the other side of this argument. I know the other side believes school choice, as I am describing it, is wrong. I believe they have good intentions. This Senator is speaking from personal experience. This Senator is speaking from the statistical realities that we see across this country. This Senator is speaking on behalf of those kids who have been trapped too long, locked out too often, and said no to too many times. It is up to us as policymakers to create an environment where we unlock their potential. I hope we will continue to have a robust debate, leaving politics behind and figuring out how to improve educational opportunities for all of our children.
Thank you, Mr. President.
