Women's American ORT: Action Alert

action alert

Voucher Update:
Cleveland and Vermont

Cleveland Voucher Defeated
Supreme Court Rejects Vermont Vouchers
WAO's Position on Vouchers

Cleveland Voucher Defeated

Dec. 20 – A Federal District Court in Cleveland ruled that the state's voucher program violated the Constitution's separation of church and state in another federal court defeat for voucher programs in the final weeks of 1999.

Currently, 96% of the Cleveland students receiving vouchers attend parochial schools, and the judge noted that this had "the effect of advancing religion through government-sponsored religious indoctrination." The 3,761 primary school students receive up to $2,500 in state money toward tuition at one of 56 approved private schools, more than 80% of which are religious.

Although the Supreme Court has refused three times to hear voucher cases – most recently it let stand the Vermont ruling that a state may not pay the tuition for students to attend religious schools – it will inevitably at some time have to deal with the issue. In October the Court declined to review a similar case in Maine (its law excludes religious schools from receiving public funds). In November 1998 it declined to review a Milwaukee voucher program that was upheld by the Wisconsin Supreme Court, allowing state funds to be used by poor families to send their children to religious schools

As the campaign for president heats up in the next few months, vouchers will continue to be a hot issue as each candidate "weighs in" on his solution for educational reform. Vice President Al Gore opposes them, while former New Jersey Senator Bill Bradley favors them "as experiments" and Texas Governor George W. Bush and Arizona Senator John McCain generally support them.

Supreme Court Rejects Vermont Vouchers

The U.S. Supreme Court upheld a ruling this month by the Vermont State Supreme Court that vouchers to attend a Catholic high school would constitute government support of religious worship, thereby violating the state constitution. Vermont law permits students living in districts without their own public schools to receive state money to attend other public or nonsectarian schools.

In this case, the Chittenden Vermont school board, which doesn't have its own public school, sought state funding to pay student tuition to attend a Catholic school in a neighboring community. When the state denied the request, the school district sued. Following the State Supreme Court ruling, the district discontinued its efforts. Parents, however, appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that the First Amendment doesn't allow the state to deny an educational benefit to otherwise eligible parents and children based on religious values, content and views of the educational program offered by a private school of their choice.

WAO's Position on Vouchers
Women's American ORT opposes vouchers for several reasons:

1-Subsidization of parochial schools with public monies violates the principle of church and state (87% of private school pupils attend religious schools) and therefore violates the Constitution.

2-Draining public funds to benefit private education is unsound public policy, especially at a time when public education is in dire need of improvements and reforms.

3-Public education has historically allowed minorities and immigrants to move into America's mainstream, providing citizens with a common body of knowledge and values.

See Women's American ORT's national Resolution on Education in a Democracy opposing vouchers.

Guidelines for Public Policy Action:
Section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code denies tax exempt status to organizations that, directly or indirectly, support or oppose political parties or candidates for any elective office. This prohibition applies to local, primary and general elections.

Any and all activity on behalf of, or in opposition to, parties and candidates for political office, however insubstantial, is strictly forbidden to Women's American ORT as a tax-exempt organization.

This does not apply to individuals, writing, acting or voting as individuals (with no mention of WAO membership or affiliation). Certainly any member can vote for or against any candidate who represents her viewpoint.

If you have any questions, please call our National Office at 212.505.7700 or 800.51.WAORT, ext. 263.