The public schools in the parts of DC, Virginia, and Maryland where these politicians live are some of the best in the country. They don't send their kids to Sidwell Friends because Woodrow Wilson is mediocre, they send their kids there because it provides networking with other affluent and influential families and because it provides a certain amount of isolation from the proles.

Would the elite private schools that they send their kids to be affordable with only the voucher and no extra money? Doubtful.

The main point of the debate is not whether some private schools are able to educate better than public schools. It is whether subsidizing private schools will raise the overall quality of education.

No, not even close. Tuition at Sidwell Friends is approaching $40k/year [1]. The Lab School (specializes in learning disabled students) is over $40k/year [2].

DC spent about $20k/year per student in 2014. That's among the highest spending level in the nation [3]. I believe that figure is closer to $25k/year in 2016. About a third of the states spend less than half per student than DC [4].

[1] http://www.sidwell.edu/admissions/tuition-and-fees/index.asp... [2] https://www.labschool.org/page/admissions/tuition-and-fees [3] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/local/wp/2015/06/02/the-... [4]http://www.governing.com/gov-data/education-data/state-educa...