New Year's Resolution: Save School Choice in DC!

For families participating in the DC Opportunity Scholarship program, 2009 ended on a sad note with news that Congress and the Obama administration were approving legislation that would essentially threaten to phase-out the OSP slowly over time. Moving forward, no new students will be allowed to recieve scholarships. And, tragically, students who are currently receiving scholarships, may be forced to go back to public school (since some private schools are closing and there are questions about who will be administering the scholarship program as it unwinds).

Despite Congress and the Obama administration's shameful decision to end the scholarship program, DC families aren't giving up hope. They recognize that their children deserve better than the low-performing and all-too often dangerous DC public schools. They remain committed to making their voices heard and fighting for good educational opportunities for their chidlren.

While it remains to be seen how long it will take for Members of Congress and the Obama administration to come around and do the right thing, all of us who believe that DC kids deserve great educational opportunities can do our part. Make a donation to help provide a scholarship for a DC student. Any contribution can help make the difference in a child's life. Please use the donation button on this page to make a tax-deducatable donation to the DC chapter of the Black Alliance for Educational Options (a 501c3 ornanization). Your donation will be paired with others' donations and used to fund a scholarhsip for a low-income student who has been denied the chance to participate in the DC Opportunity Scholarship progarm.

It is great to see that other people are excited about this effort. The other day, Glenn Reynolds at his popular Instapundit blog posted about the need to start raising scholarships for DC kids. We hope Instapundit and others will help join DC BAEO's effort to SAVE DC KIDS.

If you want to be inspired about why we all need to be resolved to save DC kids in 2010, read Virginia Walden Ford's great op-ed from the Washington Times in December. As Virginia explains, saving as many kids as possible is what Harriet Tubman would have done.