Where is Gov. Fletcher when Kentucky parents need him the most?

By Joel Peyton

Four years ago, President Bush championed education tax credits, a school-choice option intended to benefit America's schoolchildren. A letter supporting the idea signed by former U.S. Rep. Ernie Fletcher and 14 of his GOP colleagues proclaimed:

"We support the President's proposal because we believe America should be a land of equal educational opportunity. Regardless of income or other factors, parents with children in chronically failing schools should (be) able to choose the best school possible for their children. Low-income parents in disadvantaged communities with failing schools should have the same education choices that affluent parents have. Giving all parents this choice will broaden the escape route for students trapped in failing schools. It will also energize the public education system and spur struggling schools to succeed."

In a Sept. 10, 2003 article covering the House's passage of the D.C. voucher bill by a single vote, the Washington Post reported: "Fletcher said in a statement that he switched sides after the bills sponsors agreed to switch sides after the bill's sponsors agreed to negotiate with the Senate to make the vouchers available only to low income children who are "trapped in a failing school."

It's apparent from the letter he signed and coverage of the historic school-choice voucher bill that then-Rep. Fletcher, who was elected governor of Kentucky in 2003, saw the need to assist thousands of children in low-income households in the nations capital. The law now provides up to 1,700 scholarships for low-income children at a cost of $12 million per year.

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