Kathleen
As of a few hours ago…
“The U.S. Supreme Court put new limits on the power of citizens to challenge government programs as unconstitutionally promoting religion, upholding an Arizona tax credit aimed at helping cover private-school tuition costs.
The justices, voting 5-4, today said opponents lacked “standing” to challenge the 14-year-old program, which gives tax credits for donations to organizations that provide private- school scholarships. The opponents faulted the program for relying on religious organizations that require their recipients to enroll in sectarian schools.”
This is great news for school choice!
As an aside, I personally wish more public schools were run like parochial ones. They operate on smaller budgets, have more flexible hiring practices, and don’t have to sift through several levels of bureaucracy to try a new program out.
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Comments
"As an aside, I personally wish more public schools were run like parochial ones. They operate on smaller budgets, have more flexible hiring practices, and don't have to sift through several levels of bureaucracy to try a new program out."
Or take years and go through miles of red tape to fire someone when warranted.
Kathleen, this is a very enjoyable read.
@DinoRightMarie, I know! One of my friend's fathers is the head of security in a district near me. His coverage in the Journal is a great read: http://tinyurl.com/3tzk8z2.
Nice! Thanks LukeHandCool 🙂
Parochial schools have the right to pick and choose their students. They have the right to exclude any student for any reason. Do we give public schools that right also?
If your are meaning Religious oriented schools in saying Parochial, you have to consider the pay scale. Nuns and other volunteers cost a darn cite less than union school teachers, even when they are by and large doing a better job.
@ Surfed, I think there will always be a market for education, if that's the point you're trying to get at… These are alternative options and I don't know of anyone who has ever been turned away at a parochial school save for overcrowding.
@ Edward, good luck finding a nun in a Catholic school. (I only encountered one in my whole career at a private Catholic high school.) Most of my teachers were retired professionals (retired chemists for chemistry, a former FBI officer for history, etc…) who didn't go through the insipid standards for educators that many public systems require for someone to get "in."
kathleen
The case was doomed under the prior ruling upholding vouchers. the 9th circuit was wrong. who knew?
But there is another angle. They rejected the theory that letting you keep your own money is the same as gov. spending.
http://patterico.com/2011/04/04/supreme-court-to-ninth-circuit-president-obama-no-the-government-allowing-you-to-keep-your-own-money-is-not-the-same-as-spending/
Thank you for that link!
Where I live in Florida there are loooonnngg waiting lines to get into the Catholic Schools. Each of them requires testing before admittance to High School (if you didn't come from a church feeder elementary). They also remove students at the drop of a hat for bad behavior/language.
Public education has become a testing ground for every crackpot theory the education establishment can cough up.
Here's a nice article by Dr. Richard A. Baer on the definition of "religion" in the context of public schools:
https://confluence.cornell.edu/display/~rab12/Functional+Definition+of+Religion
@Recovering Lutheran – Amen brother. As an inner-city school teacher for 35 years I second you opinion. Sometimes we have crackpot theories handed to us to implement on a monthly basis. We joke that an Administrator (Principal) hears something on an airplane and is implementing it by the time the aircraft is landing. They have no idea if they will work or not. The principals are just padding their resumes to move up to District level office.