Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.), the author of a bill that would create a $ 15 million voucher program for District public school students this fall, said yesterday that the plan would not take money away from the current system or from public charter schools.

Calling the plan a "win-win for District children," Davis predicted that Congress would appropriate the money for the stand-alone voucher program and would approve additional money for D.C. public schools, as well as the charter schools, which now number 39 and educate 11,600 children in Washington.

"When the package is completed, I think we'll see additional money in a like amount for public schools and . . . for charter schools next year," said Davis, chairman of the House Committee on Government Reform.

"I'm committed to that, and the [Bush] administration is committed to that," Davis said later in an interview. "I'm confident the package the mayor has asked for will come through."

The bill, called the D.C. Parental Choice Incentive Act of 2003, would provide taxpayer-funded private school tuition grants of up to $ 7,500 a year to D.C. families earning up to 180 percent of the poverty level, or about $ 27,500 for a family of three. Eligible children would come from an elementary or secondary school that had been targeted for improvement, corrective action or restructuring. The U.S. Department of Education would administer the program but select a private entity to manage it.

A $ 15 million program -- which would be funded under a $ 75 million national school choice incentive plan in President Bush's 2004 budget -- could reach at least 2,000 students in the District, Davis said.

Davis's bill to authorize private tuition grants for District students does not mention more money for public schools, which is opposed by some Republicans who are adamant about not including additional funding in the D.C. voucher program. Davis said funding for the public schools would be addressed in the city's appropriation bill this summer.

But Davis's proposal has drawn opposition from a diverse group, including Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), a traditional voucher opponent, and Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, archbishop of Washington, who supports vouchers and said recently he was ready to open up 2,000 spaces in Catholic schools in the District for new students.

Vouchers are funded with taxpayer money and allow parents to enroll their children in private or religious schools.

"A stand-alone voucher bill will not adequately care for the educational needs of all of our city's children," McCarrick said in a statement released by his office. "We have worked . . . on a comprehensive three-sector approach to education that includes scholarships for families who choose non-public schools, but also increased help for the city's public and charter schools. We ask federal legislators to do the same."

Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D) reversed his stance on vouchers last month after concluding that there still are children "trapped in bad schools." He said subsequently that his support was contingent on increased federal funding for District public schools and for the acquisition and renovation of facilities for charter schools.

Williams reiterated his position yesterday, appearing for a second time in as many months at a hearing on vouchers before the House Government Reform Committee, which oversees the District and federal operations.

"I support a three-sector approach that would focus new federal resources towards increasing the availability of quality educational options for District students and families," Williams said. Also testifying at the hearing in support of Davis's bill were U.S. Education Secretary Roderick R. Paige and Rep. John A. Boehner (R-Ohio), chairman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee.

"I don't believe that there is such a thing as too many good educational options for our children," Williams said. "I hope the Congress will adopt and fund initiatives to make the city a national model of public and private schools choices for urban education."

Norton, a member of the Government Reform Committee, said that taking 2,000 students out of the District's public and charter schools would cost the system millions of dollars.

"Our public schools will lose a combination of $ 12,557 per pupil in both D.C. and federal funds because every school system must be funded on a per-pupil basis," she said. "This would be a blow D.C. public school funding simply cannot afford today."

D.C. Council member Adrian M. Fenty (D-Ward 4) said he would introduce an emergency resolution at the council's July 8 meeting opposing the voucher program, and the Washington Teachers' Union also urged Williams to withdraw his support for vouchers.