SIMI VALLEY : Boland Endorses Voucher Measure

Assemblywoman Paula Boland (R-Granada Hills) Friday endorsed Proposition 174, even though the school voucher initiative trails badly in the polls.

“Our most affluent families do exercise choice by buying a home in the neighborhood of their choice, or by sending their children to private schools,” said Boland, who represents Simi Valley and Fillmore along with portions of the San Fernando Valley.

“However, the poor do not have that kind of choice, and their children are the ones that can least afford a poor education. . . . The status quo is unacceptable, and parents’ only avenue of empowerment is to vote ‘yes’ on Proposition 174.”

If approved, the initiative would amend the state Constitution to allow parents who send children to a private school to receive a $2,600 annual voucher from the state for each child’s tuition and related costs.