The two US senators from Kansas have split their vote on a controversial education funding measure under discussion in the US Senate this week. The amendment called for $24 billion in federal school funding dollars to be diverted to private school voucher programs. Republican Senator Pat Roberts supported the measure while Republican Senator Jerry Moran voted against it. Dave Trabert of the Kansas Policy Institute lauds Senator Roberts' vote and says the amendment is a good idea because it gives parents more choices. But Tom Krebs of the Kansas Association of School Boards says the bill is unfair to public schools and commends Senator Moran’s vote against it. The voucher amendment failed by a wide margin but supporters vow to revisit the issue later. The overall funding bill for low-income schools is still being debated in the Senate.
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