Legislators in Missouri are about to pass an expansive school choice bill that paves the way for vouchers and privatization of public education.
Here is the language of the Missouri state constitution:
“Section 5. The proceeds of all certificates of indebtedness due the state school fund, and all moneys, bonds, lands, and other property belonging to or donated to any state fund for public school purposes, and the net proceeds of all sales of lands and other property and effects that may accrue to the state by escheat, shall be paid into the state treasury, and securely invested under the supervision of the state board of education, and sacredly preserved as a public school fund the annual income of which shall be faithfully appropriated for establishing and maintaining free public schools, and for no other uses or purposes whatsoever.
“Section 8. Neither the general assembly, nor any county, city, town, township, school district or other municipal corporation, shall ever make an appropriation or pay from any public fund whatever, anything in aid of any religious creed, church or sectarian purpose, or to help to support or sustain any private or public school, academy, seminary, college, university, or other institution of learning controlled by any religious creed, church or sectarian denomination whatever; nor shall any grant or donation of personal property or real estate ever be made by the state, or any county, city, town, or other municipal corporation, for any religious creed, church, or sectarian purpose whatever.”
But what does the constitution mean anyway when you want to put kids into private and religious schools with public funds?
NPR reports:
“A wide-ranging education bill is expected to make it through: one that would establish a tax credit program known as education savings accounts, or ESAs, which could be used by foster children, children with disabilities, and children of military personnel to enroll in private schools. It would also expand Missouri’s student transfer law, allowing students in unaccredited districts to attend a public school in another district, or go to a private nonreligious school, charter school or virtual school.
“Backers of the measure say that the bill, known as a “school choice” measure, allows parents to make the best choices for their kids. But opponents believe it’s a way to put public money toward private schools instead of better-funding public schools.”
However, the legislature is not likely to increase charters outside of St. Louis and Kansas City.
In Arizona, voucher supporters started with the same limitations and expanded the program bit by bit to extend vouchers to almost everyone.
Why should a detail like the state constitution get in the way?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Ah, that pesky little constitutional issue.
Unfortunately, the wall that held back theocracy for several centuries is under assault.
That same Missouri Constitution is at the heart of the SCOTUS case, Trinity Lutheran Church School v. Comer, heard last week. The case results from an appeal by the Church School, which was denied a playground improvement grant by the State, and sued. The State cited the same constitutional language Diane cites.
In part because the very devout Neil Gorsuch is now seated I, and many SCOTUS observers, believe the Church School will prevail. The boundary between church and state has become increasingly blurry. This case will further weaken this important Constitutional protection.
In Arizona, voucher supporters started with the same limitations and expanded the program bit by bit to extend vouchers to almost everyone”
Right. And we’ll see the same goalpost-moving. They sell it to the public initially as for the benefit of lower income children. Once that goes in they immediately begin lobbying for expansion.
They move goalposts on “performance” too. It starts as “failing public schools” Then when private schools don’t score any better it becomes “choice!”
Guess Missouri’s state’s name is now MISERY.
Nah, it’s Missourah!
Being a lifelong resident (minus almost 4 years in MA and 6 months in Peru) we used to be a bit more respectful of the constitution. Greitens and the rest of the xtian religious right under the monies of Rex Sinquefeld and ALEC (the Koch sucker Bros) are doing their best to undermine that constitution.
I haven’t given up hope yet, but as in all across the country the xtian religious reactionary regressive right has become so emboldened and hubristic we can only hope that it comes back to bite them. The average Joe and Jane for the most part do not want anything to do with that xtian religious jihadist reactionary right. It’s just that money talks in this state and the above mentioned reactionaries have a ton of it.
Yes, Missouri’s constitutional wording is not ambiguous. But the monied interests have never given a damn about the constitution unless they can use it for gaining more money.
The voucher law was a top priority for Missouri lawmakers.
They did absolutely nothing for public schools. Clearly not a top priority.
I get that public schools are unfashionable but aren’t they part of these peoples job duties? Who represents the interests of 90% of kids in that state?
Laws mean little to these free market and “choice” zealots. They will continue their forced march over everyone unless they are stopped by the courts and/or angry citizens.
They will continue the hostile takeover of public education unless people start voting out complicit politicians and demanding their rights to authentic free public education.
The Missouri Senate just reported the bill,favorably, and it will go to the House for consideration. See
http://www.joplinglobe.com/news/missouri-senate-passes-school-choice-transfer-proposal/article_9060cd24-2c26-11e7-97f8-0fa6c31f1e63.html
The Missouri constitutional prohibition is under review at the US Supreme Court now, and a decision is expected in June. The legislation calls for setting up savings accounts, which are constitutional. By having the parents control the account, no tax money is involved.
Charles, all of these programs for vouchers are a hoax intended to siphon tax money to religious schools, most of very low quality. As more and more studies show, children take a voucher and go backwards in their studies when they enroll in a school with unaccredited, uncredentialed teachers.
I may be naive, but I fail to see the issue in such absolutist terms. Parents who receive vouchers, or participate in educational savings accounts, do not automatically leave excellent public schools, and move their children into miserable private/parochial schools. I just have more faith in parents than you do.
Some parents will home-school their children, when they have a choice. Some parents will enroll their children in military schools.
One compromise, would be for states to mandate that vouchers can only be redeemed at accredited schools. When I received GI Bill money for college, I could only get the funds ,if I attended an accredited institution of higher learning, and make progress there.
Excellent public schools have nothing to fear from school choice. As I am proud to say, the public schools here in Fairfax Virginia, are some of the finest in the nation. A local high school was named one of the ten best in the nation. 25 of the top schools in Virginia, are within 30 miles of my home. I am proud to support these schools, even though I have no children in them. If parents here were given the choice to withdraw, they would refuse.
Public education, financed by the public purse will continue in the USA. What we are going to see less of, is public schools, and more children attending a wider variety of schools, with public funds.
The days of money following the institution, are fading. Money will follow the child, and the parent’s choices.
Talk about federal overreach and activist court, those things the right supposed abhors, when the SC, and there is no doubt in my mind that they will rule Missouri’s “Blaine Amendments” unconstitutional, does so all the tax avoiding xtian far right regressive churches will immediately fight to suck on the “gubmint’s teat” and enrich themselves immensely.
Anybody remember anything about nose under the tent wall?
Duane,
It is not the camel’s nose, it is more like half the camel.
Duane, you of all people must know that those who call themselves conservatives and rail at activists judges will always use judicial activism in their favor. That is why the charge of judicial overreach is bogus on the face of it.
And I thought the Show Me State would resist this crap. I guess mucho money can buy anything.
The same thing will likely happen here in Nevada. The state Supreme Court found vouchers unconstitutional, but only because it dipped into the funds designated for public schools, not because tax money was involved. They are waiting for a loop hole and this federal case will likely be it. Public Education is on borrowed time.
From Nevada’s constitution:
Sec: 9. Sectarian instruction prohibited in common schools and university. No sectarian instruction shall be imparted or tolerated in any school or University that may be established under this Constitution.
Seems rather explicit, eh.
But again, when did what is in a state’s constitution stop the monied powers from extracting as much as they can from the state?
I suppose the st. louis post dispatch will get around to reporting this tomorrow. The amount of reluctance to do education reporting in St.Louis is practically beyond belief. They did brag about a couple of schools in st. louis which made high ranking on the u.s. news world report list…..they made sure to emphasize that they were magnet schools in which a lot of suburban white students were in those schools as part of the brown versus board of education deseg requirements.
Good! I’m glad. It’s not fair to those underachieving rich children in Ladue and Frontenac that they don’t have the choice to go to a better charter or those poor children in the Lindbergh district that made AYP for many consecutive years and is a blue ribbon school district. Clearly they need more choice to save them from their failing public schools. I mean Ladue is so poor that the students’ drinking fountains are sponsored for a mere $300 while in the city district the students get bottled water because the water is lead contaminated. And those poor kids in that tiny town, I want to say Japan, that all passed the state assessment. Clearly they need more choices…Of course they couldn’t even keep a Catholic grade school open so I’m not sure how they will keep a charter but choice!!!
I, for one, can’t wait for the havoc this will wreck. And the subtle racism that will appear. Of course what does it matter if the students have choice…I don’t see anything about providing transportation to these wonderful new school.