Jeb Bush speaks to an audience of people from Colorado energy companies at an energy town hall meeting April 7, at the Brown Palace Hotel. (Kathryn Scott Osler, The Denver Post)
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush made some comments about education , resurrecting a conversation about school choice and vouchers.
Bush, a potential presidential candidate for the Republican party, was introduced at the start of his meeting Tuesday by Doug Benevento, vice president of the Douglas County School District’s Board of Education.
Asked about education, Jeb Bush offered an off-handed comment drawing attention to Douglas County.
Bush said education is driven too much by the federal requirements. He said local districts should have more say about the Title I money they receive from the federal government designed to provide interventions for low-income children.
“If Douglas County wants to voucherize the entire school district — which I think if they had their way they might do that — allow the title I monies to run with the child,” he said to scattered applause.
DougCo schools are awaiting a decision from the under the state constitution.
The vouchers, or the Choice Scholarship Program as the district calls it, would use taxpayer money to allow children to pay for private schools. The program was put on hold in 2011 as the first 304 students were about to enroll.
On Friday, Benevento did not dispute Bush’s comments, but said both have talked about education in the past, and agree that providing choice is important.
“We’ve always agreed, we want parents to make decisions for their children,” Benevento said. “Parents are the best decision makers for their kids.”
Benevento said the word privatization was not used, and that what he supports is having a variety of options for education.
“We have a very robust neighborhood school system. A very robust charter school system, and very interesting online options,” Benevento said. “Our job is not to push for one choice.”
Staff writer John Frank contributed to this report.
