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May 30, 2007
By Seanna Adcox
Associated Press
Senators defeated attempts Wednesday to add private school vouchers to a bill that would allow students a chance to enroll in any public school regardless of attendance lines.
It was the first time senators debated school vouchers on the chamber floor. The idea of helping parents send their children to private school using public money has died repeatedly in the House over the past several years.
The proposal's lopsided failure Wednesday on nearly two-to-one votes means the Senate is unlikely to take up the issue again this year or next, said Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell, who supported the idea.
"The votes are not there," said McConnell, R-Charleston. "Let's move on to other issues."
The Senate adjourned for the day still debating the initial concept, which is referred to as open enrollment and applies only to public schools. The legislation, which has the support of Education Superintendent Jim Rex, also encourages choices within districts, such as same-gender classes, charter schools, Montessori programs, online courses and year-round programs.
"I think it really opens the door for more choices and options within the framework of the public school system," said Sen. Joel Lourie, D-Columbia.
But Sen. Larry Grooms argued the legislation, passed by the House last month, is flawed because it allows school boards to turn down transfer applicants if a school or program is full. Grooms also did not like school districts being able to limit the number of out-of-district transfers accepted.
Grooms urged senators to approve a private school voucher, worth $2,500 each, for poor children who are told they can't transfer due to lack of space. His idea failed, as did another proposal that removed the income requirements for voucher recipients.
"We will allow you to go to a good public school if, if, if," Grooms said, his voice rising steadily, "that school certifies there's space available for you. What kind of promise is that if there is no space? We've heard our good public schools are filled. They're bursting at the seams."
Rex, the only Democrat elected to statewide office in November, said the argument was off-base. He said Grooms and other senators aren't considering the broad range of choices that will exist in the future public system. The bill is about expanding choices both inside a school and among districts, he said.
Lourie said advocates of private school choice only want this as a first step toward an open-ended school voucher system that eventually lets parents use "public education dollars like user fees."
"Why would we not want to go in that direction if we're getting results?" said Grooms, R-Bonneau.
Sen. Vincent Sheheen, D-Camden, noted the "private, publicly funded schools" would not be subject to the same state and federal accountability laws as public schools.
The Senate initially approved giving poor students first priority in transferring to another public school. Sen. Darrell Jackson, D-Columbia, worried available slots could be taken years in advance by parents who know how to maneuver the system.
But senators defeated the idea on a revote after Sen. Greg Ryberg, R-Aiken, complained the vote was taken while senators weren't paying attention. Middle-class parents who want a better school for their children, but can't afford private school tuition, shouldn't have to relinquish their chance for a transfer just because they don't qualify for food stamps, reduced-price school meals or Medicaid, Ryberg said.
McConnell said he could not vote for the bill if it treated children differently based on their parents income.
"You're talking about equal access to a public school," he said. "How fair is it to make them go further back in the line just because they have working parents?"
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