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November 3, 2005
Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations
Welcomes Initial Senate Passage of
Federal aid to
All Schools (Public, Private & Parochial) that
Have Taken in Katrina Displaced
Students; Commends Senators Enzi, Kennedy and
Ensign
The Union of Orthodox
Jewish Congregations of America welcomes the U.S. Senate’s
passage of a bipartisan proposal to provide federal aid for
schools - including non-public (including parochial) schools -
which have taken in students displaced by Hurricane Katrina. On
a voice vote the Senate adopted the proposal sponsored by
Senators Mike Enzi (R-Wy) and Ted Kennedy (D-Ma) along with
Senators Alexander, Dodd, Lott and Landrieu.
Under the proposal – forged after weeks of intensive
negotiations among the Senators and in which the Orthodox Union
and other private school advocates participated -- all K-12
schools can receive up to $6000 per displaced student. Under
this bill, federal funds would be disbursed by the states to
nonpublic schools via accounts set up for each displaced student
the school has taken in. The Senate proposal also contains a
number of provisions designed to ensure federal funds do not
directly support religious activities.
Senator John Ensign (R-Nev) offered a second degree amendment to
the Enzi-Kennedy proposal which would have addressed several
outstanding concerns the Union and other private school
representatives have with the bipartisan bill, but Senator
Ensign’s proposal failed on a procedural vote. The Enzi-Kennedy
proposal was adopted by the Senate as an amendment to that
body’s Budget Reconciliation legislation over the bitter
opposition of the National Education Association and other
opponents of public aid, under any circumstances, to private and
parochial schools.
Nathan J. Diament, public policy director for the Union, issued
the following statement after this morning’s votes:
The Orthodox Jewish
community welcomes this morning’s action by the Senate moving us
a step closer to having federal aid delivered to the hundreds of
schools that have taken in and are caring for children displaced
by Katrina. We commend Senators Enzi, Kennedy, Ensign,
Alexander, Dodd and Landrieu for their leadership.
The Orthodox Jewish
community is very pleased that we are no longer discussing
whether non-public and parochial schools will be included in a
federal education aid program, but how they will be included
- by what means and on what terms. While we still have
reservations about several of the provisions adopted by the
Senate this morning, we appreciate how much progress we've made.
As the representative of the stakeholders on the ground – the
schools who have opened their doors to these displaced children
– we remain focused upon securing final passage of legislation,
not scoring political points at the price of pragmatic
assistance. We look forward to working with these Senators and
all those of good will to move this initiative ahead.”
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