As my colleague Mariel Montero noted yesterday, efforts are under way in many states and at the national level to create private school voucher plans. These schemes represent an existential threat to public education.
During Public Schools Week, it’s important that we take a step back and look at what propels this movement to destabilize public education. In a nutshell, the movement is driven two forces: extreme free-market groups that reject all public services and want to privatize most functions of government and Christian Nationalist organizations that oppose public schools because they don’t espouse their favored version of Christianity.
Americans still support public education, and they vote against school vouchers whenever they’re given the opportunity. But as we’ve seen in other contexts recently, a barrage of lies repeated over and over again at loud volume can have an effect. That’s why we have to remind Americans repeatedly of what is at stake if the unholy alliance of free marketeers and Christian Nationalists succeeds in destabilizing public education.
Here are just four things we’ll lose:
Modern public education embraces all students – no matter of their race, national origin, religion, family income level or gender identification. Students with learning and physical disabilities are accommodated. A patchwork of private schools will never be able to provide that scope of service.
Students are free to engage in private, non-disruptive forms of religious activity in public schools, but the schools themselves are secular and don’t promote one religion over another. Most private schools are religiously affiliated. Many require participation in prayer and other forms of worship, and they often infuse the curriculum with their particular religious view, with some teaching inaccurate forms of science and history. Public schools seek to educate, while many private religious schools seek to indoctrinate. The latter should never be funded with tax dollars.
Public schools hire educated teachers who are dedicated to their craft. Many public school teachers are underpaid and overworked, but they remain the backbone of our educational system; they educate 90% of America’s children. Private schools, by contrast, are free to hire whomever they choose and are allowed to impose religious requirements on staff. They’re also permitted to hire teachers who will promote dogma over the provision of sound education.
Public schools are governed by democratically elected local boards. They welcome community input. In many parts of the country, especially in small towns and rural areas, public schools serve as de facto community centers and gathering spots for their respective communities. Private schools are answerable only to themselves and aren’t obligated to represent the community in any way.
There are many other reasons to support public schools this week and every week. Our public schools are under assault. They need to hear your voice. Lift it up! This Public Schools Week, one way you can speak out is by telling your Members of Congress to support public education and reject private school voucher plans.
