Why are state teachers so angry at Feinstein?
Because she may start a trend

Do you hear that cracking noise? That's the government-school monopoly dam about to burst.

Up until now, the teachers unions have plugged the holes in the dike using threats and money to make sure lawmakers, especially Democrats, oppose school-choice vouchers. U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, however, has just joined a growing number of Democratic elected officials who not only refuse to strengthen the dam but want to tear it down.

In a recent Washington Post op-ed, Sen. Feinstein came out in favor of federally funded vouchers for students in Washington, D.C. Congress has the unique opportunity to implement vouchers in the nation's capital since the federal government provides funds for the city's schools. Thus, according to the proposal before Congress, low-income D.C. students would be eligible for a $7,500 scholarship to pay for tuition, fees and transportation to any D.C. private school. Although D.C.'s Democratic mayor, Anthony Williams, caused a stir when he recently came out for vouchers, the teachers unions have portrayed his support as a self-interested political ploy to get more money for the city's schools.

Feinstein is different. She doesn't have anything to gain by supporting vouchers in D.C. Further, her reputation as a thoughtful centrist-leaning Democrat could swing others in her party to rethink their knee-jerk positions and eventually support school choice.

No wonder, then, that the response of the teachers unions has been apoplectic. California Federation of Teachers President Mary Bergen exploded, saying: "We're just appalled, especially since we had contacted her about the lack of wisdom in this whole proposal." Refreshingly, however, Sen. Feinstein recognized that it was the union that lacked the wisdom on this issue.

What Mary Bergen and the teachers unions should be appalled about is the fact that despite spending an astronomical $10,852 per student per year (California's total per-pupil spending is around $9,200), student achievement in Washington is abysmal. On last year's National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading exam, often referred to as the nation's report card, 69 percent of D.C.'s fourth-graders scored below the basic level overall, with 70 percent of African- American fourth-graders and 76 percent of Hispanic fourth-graders scoring below basic. The city's government schools have clearly failed, and it's Sen. Feinstein, not the unions, who is siding with students and their parents.

While saying that she has always supported public schools, Feinstein says: "Based on the substantial amount of money pumped into the schools and the resultant test scores, I do not believe that money alone is going to solve the problem. This is why I believe the [District of Columbia] should be allowed to try this pilot - particularly for the sake of its low-income students."

Feinstein, who is Jewish and credits her own schooling at a Catholic high school for her success in life, concludes that the issue isn't about "ideology or political correctness." Instead, "It is about providing a new opportunity for good education, which is the key to success. Unless a youngster has learned the fundamentals of education, he or she will find it extremely difficult when older to find work in the competitive marketplace."

Feinstein is absolutely correct in her observations, which makes it all the more important that she also support a pilot voucher program in the state she represents. California's test scores are almost as bad as scores in Washington. On the 2002 NAEP fourth-grade reading test, half of California fourth- graders scored below a basic level, with 63 percent of African-Americans and 65 percent of Hispanics scoring below basic.

If it is a moral and civil right to give parents in Washington the ability to choose the best education for their children, then shouldn't California parents be allowed that same right?

Lance Izumi is a Senior Fellow in Education Studies at the California-based Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy. He can be reached via email at lizumi@pacificresearch.org.