She is one of more than 500 area low-income children who transferred from public to private school under a private voucher program. Gonzales-Hankins knew her meager income would be stretched thin. She didn't know it would be stretched to the breaking point. The Children's Scholarship Fund-Portland is part of a national campaign to promote vouchers and school choice. Backed mainly by conservatives, the national program has been criticized by groups such as People for the American Way, who say the purpose of the scholarships is to undermine public schools.
Backers say the scholarships give poor families the same opportunities as the wealthy.
As the first half of the school year ends, many of those families are doing whatever it takes to pay their share of the tuition. And the children, such as Alejandra, are adjusting as best they can to the private schools. Although Dominique, a kindergartner, immediately took to All Saints School in Northeast Portland, the switch has been tougher for Alejandra, a third-grader. She left friends and familiar surroundings behind at nearby Sabin Elementary School. I said, 'Give it some time . . .