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October 21, 2015

ROKITA FIGHTS FOR SCHOOL CHOICE

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Todd Rokita (IN-04) issued the following statement after the House passed H.R. 10, the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Reauthorization Act (SOAR): 

“When parents have a choice, kids have a chance. 

“It is no secret that I have been fighting for school choice programs in Washington and am proud to be an original cosponsor of this bill.  This reauthorization bill will continue to improve upon academic gains and positive student outcomes in the D.C. public education system,” said Rep. Rokita. 

Rep. Rokita, Chairman of the Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee, has toured many schools, not only in Indiana, but nationwide.  He has seen first-hand how students that have the benefit of school choice in their community are taking advantage of these opportunities. 

“A zip code no longer shackles students to a persistently failing school, and opportunity scholarships provide them a hand-up in improving their lives, their families, and their communities,” added Rep. Rokita.  

Rep. Rokita was an original cosponsor of this bill and has led on other school choice reforms in the past.  Earlier this summer, the House passed The Student Success Act, H.R. 5, a landmark education bill that Rep. Rokita co-authored.  This bill locks in conservative gains and stops the federal government from running schools through executive fiat, restores local control, and empowers parents and education leaders to hold schools accountable for effectively teaching students.   

To date, the Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP) has been an educational lifeline for more than six thousand children from low-income D.C. families.  Since the 2004 school year, more than sixteen-thousand students have applied to participate.  Further, according to a U.S. Department of Education Study, students enrolled in the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program reached a graduation rate of ninety-one percent, compared to the national average of eighty-one percent.

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 Click above to see Rep. Rokita's Floor Speech on H.R. 10, the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Reauthorization Act (SOAR).