“Whenever we remove a brick from the wall that was designed to separate religion and government, we increase the risk of religious strife and weaken the foundation of our democracy.”
— Associate Justice John Paul Stevens
It could be a long time before private and parochial schools in Moore County and across North Carolina receive state money in the form of tuition vouchers. But Thursday’s U.S. Supreme Court decision that vouchers are constitutional opens the door alarmingly wide for taxpayer subsidies of those schools. Vouchers are a direct threat to public education and, even more important, a violation of the First Amendment’s requirement that church and state be separate. Gov. Mike Easley should take the lead in opposing vouchers, and the General Assembly should continue to resist such a system.
Historically, there has been little support in the legislature for vouchers, but in the wake of the high court’s ruling, the November elections could strengthen the hand of those who want to finance private schools with public money. The legislative redistricting plans imposed on North Carolina by state and federal courts vastly increases the chances that Republicans will take control of the state House and state Senate in January. Those on the religious right can be expected to make vouchers a litmus test for candidates for the legislature.
Writing for the Supreme Court’s conservative majority in the 5-4 decision, Chief Justice William Rehnquist said the Ohio law under challenge did not breach the constitutional wall between church and state because it is neutral toward religion. But as a practical matter, that is patently untrue, because 95 percent of the voucher money in Ohio goes to religious schools. That is purely and simply state sponsorship of religion.
Rather than go that route, North Carolina should continue its experiment with charter schools. The 100 charter schools in North Carolina, including two in Moore County, are more loosely regulated than traditional public schools. The charters provide parents and children with real options. They are vastly preferable to pumping tax money into private schools.
Moore County’s public schools have improved remarkably in recent years and aspire to be First in America. That lofty ambition could be undermined if religious schools and other private institutions siphon off the best students and state money in the form of vouchers.
Private school is an option for some students, but North Carolina has no business financing that option and in the process sponsoring religion with taxpayer dollars. Those dollars should be reserved for the public education that our state’s constitution guarantees to every child.
