According to the Fox News White House blog:
The White House says that the President has decided to give the approximately $1.4 million prize accompanying his Nobel Prize to charity. They have not made a decision on which charity or charities will receive the money.
Here’s an idea for the President: He could give the 216 low-income kids back the scholarships that his administration took away from them earlier this year.
On April 6th of this year, after Democrats in Congress voted to end the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan sent letters to 216 low-income D.C. families telling them that the federal government was rescinding the scholarship awards that the families had already been awarded earlier in the year.
Obama’s prize money could give $6,800 to each of these 216 children (the original voucher was worth $7,500). That amount would likely put each of the 216 well on their way to attending a safe and effective school. The average scholarship ends up being around $5,000.
President Obama and his administration are very familiar with the empowering benefits school choice brings to families struggling to educate their children. Growing up in Chicago, Obama’s Secretary of Education Arne Duncan attended a private school. Growing up in Hawaii, President Obama attended a private school. Growing up first in Chicago, and now in Washington, Obama’s two daughters attended and still attend private schools.
In fact, two of Obama’s daughter’s classmates are able to attend Sidwell Friends thanks to the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program.
President Obama has a great opportunity to right a grave injustice he inflcited on 216 school children earlier this year. He should use his Nobel Prize money to give the same opportunity to 216 D.C. school children that he has already provided for his own daughters.
Visiting Fellow Virginia Walden Ford co-authored this post.