"The state paid $439 million in tuition grants to private parochial or non-religious schools — 40 percent more than in 2022-23" That's $439 MILLION of our tax dollars being taken away from the public schools that have a responsibility to educated ALL children, not just the privileged.
Not all kids that are attending private parochial schools or non-religious schools are privileged and/or financially well off.
My kids are taking advantage of the grants to attend LCSS schools, we would be fine with them in TSC schools, but would prefer them in LCSS. The grants give us that opportunity. I pay taxes as well, and would prefer to have some say in how I use them.
When I no longer have children in school age, I will continue supporting allowing people the choice of where to send their kids to school.
I might have supported using tax dollars for private schools if the state had ADDED money for those schools. But they aren't even fully funding the public schools.
Then there's the problem of the separation of Church and State, which Indiana has chosen to ignore.
The vouchers can be used at any school, not just religious schools.
Given that it’s up to the parent as to where to use their voucher, there isn’t a government intervening or pushing a religion issue.
If the voucher could ONLY be used at a religious schools, or a specific religion’s schools were banned from using the voucher at, then there would be an issue.
But the choice on where to spend the voucher is on the parent not the government.
The functional reality, though, is that money from the government goes to religious education. So my tax dollars fund education focused on particular religions. And NOT public education, which has to be pluralistic and equitable.
Money from government in the form of the voucher is going to private schools, some of which are religious based.
As long as the government isn’t picking and choosing which religious schools can get money, on the basis of the religion, there isn’t an issue regarding that.
Now, there is an argument that providing government money to any private school is an issue, but different from the religious argument you are making.
Government money going to any religious schools is a problem for me. And now with the increase in income allowed, so that families that can already afford private schools are getting tax money that is being siphoned off from public schools, it's worse.
Just think of all the improvements public schools could make with that money.
"The state paid $439 million in tuition grants to private parochial or non-religious schools — 40 percent more than in 2022-23" That's $439 MILLION of our tax dollars being taken away from the public schools that have a responsibility to educated ALL children, not just the privileged.
Not all kids that are attending private parochial schools or non-religious schools are privileged and/or financially well off.
My kids are taking advantage of the grants to attend LCSS schools, we would be fine with them in TSC schools, but would prefer them in LCSS. The grants give us that opportunity. I pay taxes as well, and would prefer to have some say in how I use them.
When I no longer have children in school age, I will continue supporting allowing people the choice of where to send their kids to school.
I might have supported using tax dollars for private schools if the state had ADDED money for those schools. But they aren't even fully funding the public schools.
Then there's the problem of the separation of Church and State, which Indiana has chosen to ignore.
The vouchers can be used at any school, not just religious schools.
Given that it’s up to the parent as to where to use their voucher, there isn’t a government intervening or pushing a religion issue.
If the voucher could ONLY be used at a religious schools, or a specific religion’s schools were banned from using the voucher at, then there would be an issue.
But the choice on where to spend the voucher is on the parent not the government.
The functional reality, though, is that money from the government goes to religious education. So my tax dollars fund education focused on particular religions. And NOT public education, which has to be pluralistic and equitable.
Money from government in the form of the voucher is going to private schools, some of which are religious based.
As long as the government isn’t picking and choosing which religious schools can get money, on the basis of the religion, there isn’t an issue regarding that.
Now, there is an argument that providing government money to any private school is an issue, but different from the religious argument you are making.
Government money going to any religious schools is a problem for me. And now with the increase in income allowed, so that families that can already afford private schools are getting tax money that is being siphoned off from public schools, it's worse.
Just think of all the improvements public schools could make with that money.