If the federal government offers New York City $50 million for an experimental school-voucher program, the response could very well be a polite “No, thanks.”

The New York Sun reported Friday that the federal Department of Education considers New York a “strong contender” among cities to which it could expand the Choice Incentive Fund program. Under the program, the city could receive federal funds for school vouchers in a setup similar to the five-year pilot program currently under way in the District of Columbia.

There, for the past year, low-income families have been able to enter a lottery for $7,500-per-child vouchers, which they can use to offset tuition costs at parochial and private schools. The Washington program currently has about 1,000 participants.

That program could not have been implemented, however, without the support and approval of Washington’s Democratic mayor, Anthony Williams. To most of New York’s mayoral candidates, federal funds for vouchers hold less appeal.

A spokesman for Democratic frontrunner Fernando Ferrer, Chad Clanton, said the former Bronx borough president opposes school vouchers but would have to see the details of any particular proposal or offer before issuing comment. Nonetheless, Mr. Ferrer believes, Mr. Clanton said, “We shouldn’t be pulling precious public resources away from public schools into private schools.”

The City Council speaker, Gifford Miller, also opposes school vouchers. His spokesman, Stephen Sigmund, said yesterday of Mr. Miller: “He thinks the right way to educate our kids is to focus more energy and resources and efforts on our public schools, not to abandon them.” As for the federal voucher pilot program, Mr. Sigmund said: “The Bush White House already severely shortchanges our public schools every year. The last thing we want is to throw more money away.”

Neither would Mr. Miller support legislation introduced by state Senator Martin Golden, a Brooklyn Republican, to offer tax credits to families who send their children to private or parochial schools – legislation supported by Edward Cardinal Egan, archbishop of the diocese of New York, who lobbied Albany lawmakers last week to back the bill.

Another Democratic contender for mayor, C. Virginia Fields, said she is “open to looking at further” the use of tax credits to encourage enrollment in parochial schools.

“I do regret that the parochial schools are having to be shut down, because that is a choice parents do make,” the Manhattan borough president said. “Those schools have been providing tremendous services in New York and beyond.”

Still, she is generally opposed to vouchers, because, like Messrs. Ferrer and Miller, she said most voucher proposals finance private institutions at the expense of public schools. As for the specifics of the Choice Incentive Fund program, Ms. Fields said she would have to review the plan before issuing an opinion, but added that one area of concern would be whether federal money to New York City would have to pass through the state first. Ms. Fields said the city’s experience with the state suggests that, if the city’s education system received federal money, the state would probably reduce other allocations for public schools.

Rep. Anthony Weiner, too, expressed support for religious education. A spokesman, Anson Kaye, said: “The congressman will always look for ways to ease the burden for parochial school parents. He will not take from public schools to do it, but he’s open to all ideas.”

There is some disagreement as to whether the discussion of the Choice Incentive Fund program, and vouchers generally, is moot here. New York has a so-called Blaine Amendment to its constitution that limits – and may prohibit entirely – public financing of religious institutions, which some claim to be the purpose of school vouchers.

Mr. Golden, however, said his tax-relief solution circumvents the Blaine prohibitions because it offers a $1,500 tax credit to any parent educating a child, regardless of whether the child attends public, private, or parochial school. He also said that if more students stay in parochial schools as a result, it keeps children out of overcrowded public schools and saves the taxpayers money.

Republican mayoral candidate Thomas Ognibene, too, has a school choice proposal he believes circumvents potential obstacles. Under his approach, vouchers would be provided on a case-by-case basis to parents who could demonstrate that, despite their children’s best efforts to learn, city schools failed to provide an adequate education.

Mayor Bloomberg’s other Republican rival, investment banker Steven Shaw, could not be reached for comment yesterday. Neither could the mayor’s press secretary, Ed Skyler. In 2001, Mr. Bloomberg said in a debate with Democratic opponent Mark Green that vouchers are “not something that will work in this city.”

Asked about the possible expansion of the Choice Incentive Fund program last Friday, a spokesman for schools chancellor Joel Klein, Jerry Russo, told the Sun: “We are pursuing choice by creating new schools and charter schools in New York City, leading the largest effort in the entire nation in both areas as we provide our children with more and more opportunities.” Mr. Russo would not address the specific question of school vouchers.