| WASHINGTON
- June 27 - Today's Supreme Court decision upholding a Cleveland religious school
voucher program shifts the battle over this issue from the courts to the state
legislatures and Congress, according to Americans United for Separation of Church
and State.
"This battle is not over; it's just starting," said the Rev. Barry
W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United, one of the organizations that
brought the challenge to Cleveland's voucher program before the high court. "This
is a sad day for religious liberty and public education in America, but it does
not spell the end of either."
Lynn said the court's 5-4 ruling was "the worst church-state ruling in
50 years," but added that supporters of the First Amendment and quality education
can stop the mistake from spreading across the country.
"This is a wake-up call to taxpayers," Lynn said. "The Supreme
Court thinks it's all right to force taxpayers to put their money in the coffers
of religious schools. If Americans don't give their state legislators and members
of Congress an earful, they may soon be paying taxes to support religious indoctrination."
Lynn noted that supporters of voucher schemes will likely use this ruling to
encourage lawmakers nationwide to pass laws to force taxpayers to support religious
schools.
"America, watch your wallet or it may end up in a collection plate,"
Lynn said.
Lynn pointed out that the court, by upholding vouchers in the Zelman v. Simmons-Harris
case, has not mandated that states offer voucher subsidies to religious schools.
Rather, the justices have thrown the issue to Congress and the state legislatures
to decide. He vowed that Americans United will redouble its efforts to fight voucher
proposals and to keep them from becoming law.
"Americans United and allied organizations will do whatever it takes to
see that taxpayers are not forced to support religious schools," Lynn vowed.
"Civil liberties activists, public school advocates and progressive religious
leaders will not take this misguided decision lying down."
Lynn said that despite the high court's ruling, there are many reasons to reject
voucher schemes, among them:
* Vouchers do not spur academic improvement. Objective studies of existing
voucher programs in the country have shown little or no academic improvement for
voucher students.
* Many state constitutions contain strict prohibitions on public aid for religious
institutions. While the Supreme Court has ruled on the legality of vouchers in
relation to the federal Constitution, lawmakers nationwide will still need to
consider state law. The majority of states have constitutions that strictly limit
any public aid for religious ministries.
* Members of minority groups do not support vouchers. In 2000, voters in California
and Michigan voted on voucher proposals at the ballot box. Both were trounced
-- 71 percent to 29 percent in California and 69 percent to 31 percent in Michigan.
In California, polls showed that Hispanic voters were even more adamant in their
rejection of the plan, voting 77 percent to 23 percent. African-American voters
in California rejected vouchers 68 percent to 32 percent. In Michigan, blacks
voted down vouchers 72 percent to 28 percent.
* The general public does not support vouchers. According to a Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup
poll released in August, when people were given the choice of moving to a voucher
system or improving public education, 71 percent said they favor improving public
education; only 27 percent opted for vouchers.
* Vouchers do not help poor families. Most vouchers are worth $1,500 to $3,000,
yet private-school tuition can easily top $10,000 per year. Poor families would
have no way to make up the difference. In Cleveland, a study showed that 33 percent
of the families participating in the voucher plan had been sending their children
to private schools before the program was implemented. Vouchers can easily end
up becoming a subsidy for families who desire a private education at taxpayer
expense.
* Vouchers detract from real school reform. Public education in some parts
of the nation is troubled. Studies show what these schools need -- smaller class
sizes and more resources. Vouchers detract from the goal of finding ways to give
all students a quality education by offering a small number an opportunity to
leave public schools. Ninety percent of American children attend public schools.
Reform efforts must focus on helping everyone, not just a handful.
Americans United is a
religious liberty watchdog group based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1947, the
organization educates Americans about the importance of church-state separation
in safeguarding religious freedom.
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