Bush stresses importance of vouchers in remarks to Catholic educators

Published: 2004-01-12

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- In a Jan. 9 address to more than 250 Catholic educators, President Bush stressed the importance of voucher programs and urged the Senate to pass a bill to "make school choice in Washington, D.C., a reality." The president made his remarks in the East Room of the White House to educators attending a Jan. 8-11 symposium in Washington celebrating the centennial of the National Catholic Educational Association. Although he did not specifically use the word "voucher," Bush spoke highly of the need to provide scholarships for low-income families for children in failing schools, particularly in Washington, where a choice initiative already passed in a House bill and is up for a vote as part of a Senate omnibus measure. "I suspect that this program would have a lot of takers when we can get it funded," he said. The president added that parents who think that their child's school is not meeting his or her needs would naturally want another option, and to that end, he said, Washington's Catholic schools would provide "a really good alternative" that the federal government is willing to help fund.

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