Don`t Vouch for Vouchers
An ill wind is blowing. It is an old wind, of course, for LX Roman Catholics with their extensive parochial school presence have long sought public money for their private schools. Now, there is an added thrust to the old storm because (1) many in the Radical Religious Right would like to abolish the public schools altogether and (2) the elite who are sending their own children to private schools anyway are joining the chorus who are singing out for vouchers. The following statements raise important and compelling reasons against them. The first is by the staff of Americans United for Separation of Church and State with Joseph L. Coon and Rob Boston being primarily responsible for it: and the second is by the Executive Director of the Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs, Dr. James M. Dunn.
PRIVATE SCHOOL VOUCHERS: MYTH vs. FACT
Promoters of "educational choice" make many assertions about the positive effects of private school vouchers on America`s educational system. Are these claims true? What would vouchers really do? Let`s examine some of the common myths about vouchers and review the facts.
MYTH: Vouchers are a constitutional way to assist parochial and other private schools.
FACT: Private sectarian schools account for 85 percent of the total private school enrollment in the United States. These religiously affiliated institutions generally pervade their entire curriculum with religious dogma, indoctrinating students on controversial subjects such as abortion, creationism and the role of women in society. Because of the U.S. Constitution`s church-state separation provisions, government may not subsidize sectarian education. Federal courts have repeatedly struck down various schemes designed to funnel tax dollars into religious schools.
Many states have even stricter constitutional provisions that forbid the appropriation of public funds – direct or indirect – for religious purposes. Recently, the Puerto Rico Supreme Court struck down a program that provided vouchers for tuition at religious schools, even though the law also provided funds for public school choice. No federal or state court has ever upheld using vouchers for private religious schools.
MYTH: The people support vouchers and other forms of aid to parochial and other private schools.
FACT: Voters in 18 states and the District of Columbia have rejected various forms of parochial school aid in ballot referenda. Most recently, California voters in 1993 trounced a voucher initiative 70 percent to 30 percent. Only one stare – Wisconsin – has implemented a voucher plan, an experimental program in Milwaukee limited to nonsectarian private schools. It has been very controversial and resulted in a drawn-out court battle. The driving forces behind
vouchers are not parents, but sectarian school lobbies and political fringe groups such as the Libertarian Party.
MYTH: Vouchers will ensure "parental choice" in education.
FACT: When it comes to private schools, the concept of parental choice is meaningless. Private school administrators have the only real choice concerning which children are admitted to the schools and which are not. They may reject virtually anyone applying to attend or to teach in private schools. No voucher plan will change this fact.
MYTH: Vouchers will make public schools better by promoting competition in education.
FACT: There is simply no evidence to support this assertion. Competition may be fine for breakfast cereals, but it could be disastrous for schools. Public and private schools don`t compete on an even playing field. Public schools must accept all children regardless of academic ability, physical handicap or family background. Private schools may reject any child with problems and enroll only the academically gifted. Public schools will improve only if our government officials and the public decide to make a serious commitment to educational quality. Diverting money away from public schools to private schools will not achieve this goal, but will hurt the nation`s public education system.
MYTH: The American public school system is failing our children.
FACT: New studies indicate that American students are among the best educated in the world. The U.S. has one of the highest graduation rates and U.S. schools steer more students to college than does any other country, even though many of those countries weed out mediocre students. In many measures of academic achievement, the status of U.S. students-with the majority educated in public school-continues to rise. Polls show that the vast majority of parents support the public schools their children attend and believe those schools are doing a good job. Vouchers will impede the public school system by draining the funding necessary to provide quality education for all children.
MYTH: Private schools provide a better education than public schools.
FACT: According to a recent Money magazine study, private schools rank no better scholastically than comparable public schools. In essence, the best private schools are no better than the best public schools, and the average private school is no better than the average public school.
MYTH: Vouchers can be limited to certain private schools.
FACT: Courts have ruled consistently that the government may not play favorites among religions or classes of people. Attempts to limit vouchers to traditional parochial schools would only raise an equal protection claim of religious discrimination. Therefore, if enacted, voucher subsidies would be available to anyone sending a child to any private school, even those run by unusual or radical groups with theologies or political views that most Americans may find distasteful.
MYTH: Vouchers will correct the injustice of "double taxation" for private school parents, who must pay to support a public school system they don`t use.
FACT: "Double taxation" does not exist. Private school tuition is not a tax; it is an additional expense some parents have chosen to pay. All members of society are expected to support certain basic public services such as the police and fire departments, libraries and the public schools, whether they use them or not. (Childless couples and single people, for instance, must still pay school taxes.) We all have a vested interest in maintaining a strong public school system to make certain that our people are educated. Under a voucher plan, all taxpayers will face double taxation. They will have to pay for public schools, then pay increased taxes to make up for funds being channeled to parochial and other private schools.
MYTH: A voucher plan would empower poor families.
FACT: Private schools often charge high tuition. Since vouchers usually will not cover the full cost of tuition, the wealthy, who can already afford to pay private school tuition, will benefit the most. Low and middle-income families, who will not be able to afford the difference between the voucher and tuition costs, will be less likely to benefit. Even if poor families could come up with the full tuition amount, few private schools are located in the nation`s inner cities or other economically depressed areas. Fewer still are likely to admit children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Public schools remain the only reliable educational resource for all American children.
MYTH: Private schools would be able to maintain their independence while benefiting from a voucher program
FACT: As a general rule, the government regulates what it subsidizes. If the government underwrites private schools financially, it has a right and a responsibility to ensure that the funds are being spent for sound educational services. Greater government scrutiny of private education will be necessary. Vouchers open the door to extensive state regulation of private schools.
Americans voluntarily support a wide variety of religious institutions and schools. They should not be forced to pay taxes for schools that teach religious views they disagree with. Vouchers are merely the first step toward full state funding of religious schools.
For more information about the dangers of vouchers and what you can do to support religious freedom, contact:
Americans United for Separation of Church and State
1816 Jefferson Place, N.W
Washington, D.C. 20036
(202) 466-3234
