Should Cities and States Adopt School Voucher Programs?

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Private elementary and secondary schools are usually religious in character. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, eighty-four percent of all private school students attend religiously affiliated schools. Nearly half of private school students attend Roman Catholic schools. Most of the rest attend schools operated by fewer than a dozen other faiths. (In recent years, fundamentalist Christian academies have opened in significant numbers.)

At religious schools, worship services are held frequently, and both believers and non-believers are often required to attend. History, literature and other courses are taught from a sectarian viewpoint. Fundamentalist religious dogma is sometimes offered in science classes instead of accepted scientific concepts. Some schools teach that their faith is the only true one, and other religions are disparaged as "false."

Religious authorities are free to make these decisions without regard to public opinion, and such practices are perfectly legal.  Indeed, churches that operate private schools are exercising the constitutional right of religious liberty.

These denominations see their schools as a vital part of their teaching ministry, as much a part of their evangelism program as worship services.

The schools' religious character, however, also demonstrates why Americans should not be required to finance them. Giving public funds to sectarian schools is the same thing as forcing taxpayers to place their hard-earned money in the collection plate.

Americans generously support a wide variety of religious institutions and schools and do so voluntarily. Our houses of worship are among the best attended in the world.

But religious school aid programs would require all Americans to contribute to the churches and other houses of worship that operate private schools, whether they believe in the religion taught there or not. Because taxpayers have no say in the operation of those schools, "taxation without representation" would result.

In addition, tax aid for sectarian schools would subsidize the segregation of schoolchildren along religious lines. A diverse society such as ours can hardly afford to do that.

Ninety percent of our nation's schoolchildren depend on the public schools for an education. Only 10 percent of America's students are enrolled in private schools. Scarce public resources should be designated for public purposes, not private ones.