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July 1,
2003
Orthodox Jewish Leaders Join With President Bush To Call For School Choice
In Nation’s Capital
Today, leaders of the Union of Orthodox
Jewish Congregations of America joined President George W. Bush at an even
held at the Kipp Key Community School in Washington, DC where the
President announced his strong support for a $75 million school choice
initiative. Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, the Union’s Executive Vice
President, and Nathan J. Diament, the Union’s Director of Public Policy,
attended the event in which Secretary of Education Rod Paige, D.C. Mayor
Anthony Williams and other officials participated.
In his remarks at the event, President Bush noted that $15 million of the
$75 million he has requested in his budget proposal to congress will be
specifically allocated to a school choice program in Washington, DC. The
program is designed to empower parents by awarding scholarships of up to
$7500 to those who qualify and desire to remove their child from a failing
school. The choice initiative has the support of Mayor Williams and DC
School Board President Peggy Cooper Cafritz.
Rabbi Weinreb and Nathan Diament issued the following statement after this
morning’s event:
The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations has long been a supporter of
school choice initiatives for they are in keeping with the fundamental
Jewish teaching that parents are primarily responsible for the education
of their children. We applaud the leadership of President Bush who is
clearly determined to improve the educational opportunities for all
America’s children and we applaud Mayor Williams for his courageous
leadership on this issue as well. The UOJCA will work with all those
interested in improving education and empowering parents to achieve these
noble goals.
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