In a letter to members of the US House of Representatives sent today, public education and religious liberty advocates including the Baptist Joint Committee are expressing opposition to the DC school voucher program funding included in the current Financial Services Appropriations bill (HB 2434). Here's a snippet from the letter:
At a time when Congress is considering cutting trillions of dollars from the federal budget, it should not be spending millions of taxpayer dollars for a small number of students to attend private schools.
In addition to the many problems with the DC voucher program, including religious liberty and civil rights issues, it has also proven ineffective.
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We also note that despite receiving public money, the participating private schools are not subject to all federal civil rights laws and public accountability standards, including those in the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, that all public schools must meet. Finally, we also believe this program continues to raise problems under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
No taxpayer should be forced to support religious education or the religious institutions that provide it. The $20 million in the federal budget that would go primarily to religious schools can surely be put to better use.
