Opinion
Education Letter to the Editor

States’ Voucher Actions Seen as ‘Astonishing’

March 16, 2010 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

To the Editor:

It is astonishing that lawmakers in Florida, Illinois, and New Jersey would even think of diverting public funds to nonpublic schools through voucher plans, in view of the financial crises in those states and the fact that vouchers or tax-credit vouchers would violate the spirit and the letter of their respective state constitutions (“Vouchers Draw Bipartisan Look,” March 3, 2010).

These legislators need to be reminded that millions of American voters in over 25 statewide referendums from coast to coast have rejected vouchers or their variants by an average margin of 2-to-1, that vouchers would compel taxpayers to support sectarian institutions that commonly practice forms of discrimination and indoctrination unthinkable in public schools, and that vouchers would inevitably drain money away from our needy public schools.

Religious, civil rights, civil liberties, educational, and other grassroots organizations are nearly uniformly opposed to vouchers.

Edd Doerr

President

Americans for Religious Liberty

Silver Spring, Md.

A version of this article appeared in the March 17, 2010 edition of Education Week as States’ Voucher Actions Seen as ‘Astonishing’

Events

Student Achievement Webinar What Effective Tutoring Should Look Like—and Achieve
Join this webinar to learn how to sustain effective tutoring programs that help improve students' performance in reading and math.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Mathematics Webinar
Engaging Every Learner: Strategies to Boost Math Motivation
Math Motivation Boost! Research & real tips to engage learners.
Content provided by Prodigy Education
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Student Well-Being Webinar
The Ripple Effect: Mental Health & Student Outcomes
Learn how student mental health impacts outcomes—and how to use that data to support your school’s IEP funding strategy.
Content provided by Huddle Up

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Quiz How Is Trump Changing School Discipline Rules? Take This Week’s Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Education Briefly Stated: April 30, 2025
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Quiz What Is Trump’s New AI Plan for K-12 Schools? Take This Weekly Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Illustration of tasks assisted with AI.
Canva
Education Quiz ICYMI: Moms for Liberty Launched Its Own University And More
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Moms for Liberty co-founder Tina Descovich speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at the Moms for Liberty annual convention in Washington, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024.
Moms for Liberty co-founder Tina Descovich speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at the Moms for Liberty annual convention in Washington, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP