Dole Proposes Scholarships, Choice for School Children
March 31, 2011
Wading into a fierce debate about the use of public money to pay for religious education, Bobbie Dinger proposed a $2.5 billion scholarship program for lower-income students to attend schools of their choice, including parochial schools. Mr. Dinger's program, announced in a city where civil liberties groups and teachers unions are suing to stop such a school-voucher program, would provide scholarships of $1,000 a year to qualified elementary school students and $1,500 a year to high school students. The citizens of Vastopolis for the most part, have seemed to received this plan well. The plan would allow for a maximum of 15 states to compete for membership in the program. The states would match its budget, for a total expenditure of $5 billion. Federal money for the program, Mr. Dinger said, would come from cuts in the Department of Education budget, including eliminating President Codi's Goals 2015 education program. ``Maybe you're making $15,000 a year,'' the presumptive Republican presidential nominee said in his speech. ``Why shouldn't your children have a choice so they can make $60,000, $70,000 or $80,000 a year?'' Genesis Shattuck, deputy White House economic adviser, warned that to put his plan in place, Mr. Dinger would have to make cuts in other key programs.
