School Vouchers

A wave of bills and referenda have lately increased the pressure on local, state and federal governments to provide financial subsidies to parents who choose to send their children to private or religious schools instead of free public schools.

None of this is new - Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman proposed a voucher plan some forty years ago, but it was received little enthusiasm. In the 1980s, the feasibility of a voucher system was studied in Great Britain, but after heated debate the legislature rejected the idea.

Today, the idea's popularity is spreading across the country, especially among the nation's more conservative elements.

At present, voucher programs of some sort have been proposed in at least 20 states as well as Congress. Some state constitutions explicitly prohibit government aid to religious schools, which would seem to prohibit voucher programs which include religious schools - but one of those states is Wisconsin, and judges there approved a voucher scheme. So, it is not clear that issues of constitutionality will prevail in the face of religious and partisan fervor.

Vouchers are also increasingly getting national attention. President George W. Bush originally included a voucher plan in his education bill, but the lack of congressional support forced him to drop it before he even submitted it.

Unfortunately, Supreme Court decisions have been all over the place in this area. Programs to pay for textbooks in private schools have been upheld, as have funds for transportation. But other programs, like those providing remedial education for children attending private schools, have been struck down.

Usually, voucher plans are more popular in legislatures than in the courts. In December of last year, for example, a three-judge panel from the Sixth Circuit ruled 2-1 against the voucher program in Cleveland, Ohio, and the full 13-member panel of the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has declines to make a ruling. This means that the Supreme Court may end up having to take the case.

Other decisions, however, suggest that some voucher program may be approved by the current Supreme Court, with the chances becoming even better if more conservative justices are appointed. For example, in Mitchell v. Helms decided in 2000, the Court approved a program for educational materials to go to religious schools, even if those materials could be and are diverted for religious purposes. All that was important was that the aid be granted in an even-handed manner.

Who advocates voucher programs? Traditionally, support has come primarily from the Catholic Church, an institution which has long maintained the largest system of private religious education in America. Interestingly, at the same time that they are increasing their demands for state subsidies, they are also increasing their demand that their parochial schools be used as tools for Catholic evangelization. Clearly, then, they are looking to have our government financially sponsor their attempts to spread their faith.

Catholic leaders have since been joined by libertarians and right-wing Protestants. The former think that free-market reforms are the ultimate solution to ineffective schools. The latter are hell-bent on destroying public, secular education in favor of their own brand of religious indoctrination. There is little evidence that either group will have much positive effect on our nation's educational system.

The issue is far from dead, and a knowledge of the issues is important. Let's take a look at some of the most common arguments, pro and con.

Next Page > Arguments For Vouchers > 1, 2, 3

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