Voucher ruling offers opportunity to support local public schools

By K. Hollyn Hollman

Church-State Intersection
December 11, 2002

Lately, everyone seems to ask me what effect the November election results will have on issues of concern for the BJC. Will the president's faith-based bill win passage in the Senate? Will the federal judiciary undergo significant change with the appointment of more conservative judges? While I am hesitant to make predictions, I am almost certain the election results will have a significant impact on the voucher debate.

Republican gains in state legislatures and Congress, coupled with the Supreme Court's Zelman decision last term upholding the Cleveland voucher program, have given voucher proponents a shot in the arm. On the national level, Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., will likely take over chairmanship of the Senate Education Committee. He is a leading advocate of vouchers, as is House Education Committee Chairman John Boehner, R-Ohio. Together they are likely to push vouchers in the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and other federal programs.

In the voucher debate, the BJC has long focused on questions of constitutionality and on the negative effects of using tax dollars to fund religious education. When government funds religious entities, it threatens to entangle them with regulations, dilute their religious mission and foster division between faiths. While we believe these concerns remain central, it is clear that in the wake of Zelman the public debate instead will focus on how best to educate our nation's school children.

In speaking to me about the Zelman case, BJC supporters have recounted various arguments for vouchers that are sometimes heard in their congregations. Some believe competition is important to spur reform. But even if so, school choice programs need not extend to private schools. Others are mistakenly convinced that public schools are hostile to religion, unaware of the many legal protections that accommodate religious practices.

While Christians and other people of faith continue to struggle with the prospect of vouchers, some churches and religious groups are focusing instead on how best to support public schools in the present. After all, even if voucher programs multiply, the vast majority of children will remain in public schools. Recognizing that public schools will continue to serve the most vulnerable segments of our society, these groups support public education because of their religious commitment to social justice.

A primary example is the Public Education Task Force of the United Church of Christ. In its 2001 publication, Separate and Unequal, the Task Force reports on how it is working to rekindle support for public education within congregations, including participation in "immersion visits" to public schools in various demographic settings. The report offers a glimpse into one way congregations can learn to support public education reform.

Of course, there are many ways churches can strengthen and improve the public schools. Here are some examples from a policy statement of the National Council of Churches on this issue:

• Encourage and monitor reform efforts, especially regarding governance, funding, assessment and class size;
• Honor teachers and other school employees (including congregants) as role models for young people;
• Initiate programs to provide after-school and vacation help;
• Advocate for adequate and equitable school funding at the state and local levels;
• Provide volunteers for school programs and activities.

Looking ahead, the voucher debate will primarily occur at the state and local levels. This shift in battleground will give individuals and congregations a more significant role to play. While it is vital that people of faith maintain their voice in that debate, it is equally important that we support the majority of students that will remain in the public schools, regardless of the outcome in the voucher debate.