Senator Joe Lieberman is asking the U.S. Department of Education to release $35 million in funds to help low-income students in the District of Columbia receive increased opportunity to succeed.

"At this moment, the U.S. Department of Education is sitting on some $35 million in funds specifically appropriated by the U.S. Congress for the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program,” said Lieberman in a post for The Seventy-Four.

"For years, former Speaker John Boehner and I fought for the reauthorization of this successful program. We finally got it done in 2011 thanks to the Speaker’s perseverance during the FY2011 budget negotiations.”

According to Lieberman, despite this, the Department of Education has refused to release the funds with no explanation as to why even though many needy families are still applying for the scholarships.

Also according to Lieberman, the scholarship program has proved in the past to be extremely successful in helping disadvantaged children overcome early obstacles.

"I urge newly confirmed Secretary of Education John King to release these funds immediately and give these children the same educational opportunity that current Opportunity Scholarship students now enjoy. He will thereby give them a better chance to receive a quality education, graduate from high school, go on to college and reach their full potential in life.”

Read the full post.

Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

3/25/2016