When Washington Mayor Anthony Williams announced on May 1 that he supported school voucher programs, it made headlines.

How could it not? A black Democrat, mayor of one of the most staunchly Democratic and heavily African-American cities in U.S., was endorsing an idea long championed by conservative Republicans.

What it didn't create was a local uproar. There were no major protests from D.C. citizens. No one on the mayor's staff quit. Few rivals dared attack him.

"Could it be . . . a majority of African Americans prefer school vouchers to other educational improvement plans?" asked Washington Post columnist Courtland Milloy.

In fact, polls show they do. Vouchers are one issue on which the Democratic Party and African Americans are at odds. Williams' decision exposes a fault line in the party -- one that could grow if the plan goes forward.

'High Stakes'

"The success of (school) choice in Washington would create an enormous ripple," said Jeanne Allen, president of the pro-voucher Center for Education Reform. "There are definitely high stakes in this."

It is certainly high for Democrats. The issue pits two of the Democratic Party's strongest constituencies against each other: teacher unions and black voters.

"Sooner or later, there will be a day of reckoning for Democrats on this," said Andrew Rotherham, head of education policy for the Progressive Policy Institute, the Democratic Leadership Council's think tank. "There is a real tension there."

School voucher programs offer tuition support to parents of private-school students. Conservatives have pushed the idea as a free-market alternative to public schools. President Bush has asked for $75 million for voucher programs in the current budget.

Teacher unions see them as a threat to public schools -- and have the Democratic Party on their side. The Democratic National Committee says vouchers would "siphon" funds away from public education.

"Every dollar for vouchers is a dollar less for public schools," said Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., the Democrats' leading voucher critic, earlier this month. His office declined to comment on Williams' decision.

Want More Options

When Democrats nominated Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., for vice president in 2000, they pressured him to downplay his earlier support for vouchers.

Yet the idea has strong appeal to African Americans. Many are frustrated by the lack of educational options for their children. Some are simply fed up with public schools.

Fifty-seven percent favor vouchers, according to surveys by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, which tracks black voting patterns. "What vouchers represent (to them) is an alternative to that status quo," said David Bositis, president of the center. "Their children are going to schools that they think are failing."

Black support has remained strong since vouchers first emerged as an issue in the 1990s. It exceeds the support among the general population (49%).

Support is strongest among black voters under age 35 (75%) and in households with children (74%).

The problem for advocates is that those voters are less likely to turn out for elections. Older blacks vote more often and tend to oppose vouchers. Bositis says this nullifies the issue among blacks.

That explains how the Democratic Party can oppose vouchers and still get about 90% of the black vote. It also means that demographic trends favor the pro-voucher side.

"The friction is already there," Rotherham said.

Support for alternatives to public education can be seen in the success of D.C.'s charter school movement. According to the American Federation of Teachers, 11% of District students go to charter schools. Many more are waiting for open slots.


Williams' endorsement of Bush's voucher program takes that a step further. He even rejects voucher critics' main argument -- that public schools will suffer due to a loss of students and funds. Voucher supporters say competition would force public schools to improve.


"I fully and strongly support the initiative to bring (voucher) scholarships to this city," Williams told a crowd of students May 1. "We will find that our regular public schools will end up in better shape."

The amount for the vouchers has yet to be decided. A bill by Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., would provide $7 million in the first year. To sweeten the deal, the federal government might also take over the District's $100 million special ed program.

Rejected Before

Teacher groups say this effort won't fare any better than prior ones.

"His action is one attempt in many to bring vouchers to Washington. Every time District voters have had a say on vouchers, they have overwhelmingly renounced the concept," said Celia Lose, spokeswoman for the American Federation of Teachers.

Perhaps, but this latest effort has considerable local support. Kevin Chavous, chairman of the D.C. education council and Williams' main political rival, has endorsed the idea. So has Peggy Cafritz, president of the city's board of education.

So have both local newspapers, The Washington Post and The Washington Times.

The local teachers union might not be able to put up a strong defense. It's still reeling from accusations that top officials embezzled as much as $5 million from the union.

All this gives D.C. a good chance of becoming the next place to adopt a voucher program, says the Center for Education Reform's Allen.

"Opponents have able to attack the issue as a white Republican issue," she said. "Everywhere it has happened, vouchers have been the result of bipartisan, multiracial, multiethnic support."