In the fall of 1998, as many as 15,000 public school students could apply for public vouchers to attend religious schools in Milwaukee. As a former nun and teacher in the Catholic schools for 15 years and a public school teacher for the past 14 years, I have grave reservations about public money for private religious schools.
When I taught in the Catholic schools, the parents, principals and teachers prided themselves on delivering a quality religious education to their students, independent from state interference. The same is true today. It’s what makes religious schools unique and effective. Acceptance of public money threatens religious schools’ effectiveness as quality institutions and their independence and future as religious schools.
With the Wisconsin Supreme Court decision in June, which ruled that the state can give public money to parents who wish to send their children to religious schools, all that religious schools stand for could be lost. How can people, even advocates of small government, think that religious schools can accept public money without any strings attached? Inevitably the state will demand that religious schools meet state standards, and the schools will lose their control and autonomy over teaching practices and curriculum. Religious school teachers don’t need the threat of state mandates hanging over their heads.
Religious school officials have always felt free to send back to the public schools any student they felt didn’t live up to the standards of the school. This kind of independent behavior, which was acceptable in the past, could bring about civil rights lawsuits now because these students will have paid their tuition with public money.
Religious school officials don’t wish to burden their already financially troubled institutions with legal fees for the next five to 10 years.
Religious instruction is one of the main reasons parents choose to send their children to religious schools. The use of public money for tuition could compromise religious teaching. Teachers may have trouble adhering to a certain set of religious beliefs while still protecting the sensibilities of a religiously diverse student population.
Parents who think their children will receive more individualized instruction may be frustrated. In many cases the teachers in religious schools don’t have bilingual or special education certification. They won’t be equipped to effectively teach the students who need those classes.
