Bill Phillis retired years ago as a Deputy Commission of Education in Ohio. He is passionate about equitable funding for the public schools. He has been relentless in exposing the raids on the state treasury by private profiteers like ECOT and for-profit charters. He founded an organization called Ohio Coalition for Equity and Adequacy. If you live in Ohio, you should join his work.
Bill Phillis is a tireless warrior for public schools. Like almost everyone who fights for Democratic public schools, he is unpaid. He fights because of his convictions, not his wallet. The reverse is true for corporate reformers. Take away the hundreds of millions behind their malevolent privatization movement, and it would collapse.
I name Bill Phillis to the honor roll of this blog. He is a hero of public education.
He said this about the recent Supreme Court decision, which will divert more money from public schools to religious schools:
“U.S. Supreme Court rules Trinity Lutheran Church in Missouri is entitled to public funds for non-religious purposes
“The June 26 ruling in the Missouri case probably will not affect how Ohio does business with churches and parochial schools, but it does provide another wrecking ball to help knock down the wall of separation between church and state. Although it is a narrow decision, it paves the way for further mischief.
“Ohio provides several tax-funded perks for parochial schools-auxiliary services, administrative cost reimbursement, transportation and vouchers. Ohio already is at the very top of the nation in tax support for private parochial schools. The state provides more tax dollars per student to private schools than many public schools receive.
“Companion bills (SB 85 and HB 200), pending in the legislature, would greatly accelerate public support for a parochial education.
“The nation’s founders had good reason for erecting a wall between church and state. Many of them had firsthand knowledge and experience regarding the mischief inherent in mixing the two. Both church and state lose when the two become intertwined. Public support of one’s faith trivializes it. The dominate faith community tends to have undue influence on government. Iran is a good example of a country with no wall between church and state.
“The wall in the United States need repairs, not further demolition.”
William L. Phillis | Ohio Coalition for Equity & Adequacy of School Funding | 614.228.6540 | ohioeanda@sbcglobal.net| http://www.ohiocoalition.org
Ohio E & A, 100 S. 3rd Street, Columbus, OH 43215
ohioeanda@sbcglobal.net
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I wonder if they discriminate against religious denominations. I would expect the profiteering charter schools would not be happy seeing their money going to anyone else.
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“The dominate faith community tends to have undue influence on government. ”
This makes me think about the religious right evangelical movement. Somehow, believing that Trump was appointed by God to save America by destroying political correctness..” is beyond anything I can comprehend. These people believe God favors Trump because he bestowed wealth on him and therefore he is a follower of God. [Somehow, the belief that Jesus helps the poor and has compassion for those in need gets completely forgotten.]
….
Donald Trump and Neil Gorsuch Have the Religious Right Thinking Big—Really Big
This administration plans to roll back so much more than Obama’s legacy.
…Not long after Road to Majority, Gorsuch gave Religious Right leaders evidence that he will indeed be the far-right justice they have longed for. He joins Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito at the far-right end of the bench, signaling a willingness to further dismantle regulations on money in politics, undermine church-state separation, and reverse gains on LGBT equality. Right-wing activists celebrated Gorsuch’s end-of-term contributions as a harbinger of things to come.
One other point worth noting: Religious Right leaders have been telling their supporters — and Trump himself — that he is on a divine mission. Religious Right leaders had warned that the election of Hillary Clinton would mean an end to religious freedom in America. They had given their supporters dozens of religious rationales for supporting Trump, declaring him anointed by God to save America by destroying political correctness and bulldozing the Washington establishment. During a Road to Majority session on Capitol Hill, McCarthy said of Trump’s election, “I think that was God’s hand.”
http://www.alternet.org/right-wing/donald-trump-neil-gorsuch-right-wing#.WVuhGM44G00.gmail
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Public education must not include religious education of any kind. Comparing different religions is one thing, but attempting to promote Christianity should never be allowed.
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Marian,
Taxpayers will soon be paying to promote every religion. When did we vote for that?
If a religion can’t survive without government funding, its supporters obviously don’t care enough to sustain it. Why should we?
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Diane – This is what people don’t understand. Once the floodgates are opened, the money will also go to Muslim schools, Satanic worship schools, etc. People are thinking it’s nice to help the mainline US religions without realizing that every religion will be able to get in on the free money.
I’m a weekly church-goer, but I have never been in favor of government money flowing to religious schools.
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Isn’t giving money to Satanists the Fair and Balanced thing to do?
Wouldn’t Fox (and NPR) approve of that?
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Taxpayer money has been flowing in rivers to all types of religiously-operated institutions for many years, with barely a peep of complaint. A religious organization can set up a drug rehabilitation program, and get federal grant money.
A religious organization can get tax money to set up a homeless shelter.
A religious organization can get tax money to set up a shelter for battered women.
A person can get a BEOG (Pell) grant, and attend a faith based college, even one run by the Islamic religion, or the Satanists.
All of these programs have passed constitutional muster.
Tax money has been, and is, flowing to religious schools.
I suggest you get used to it.
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For example, in Freedom from Religion Foundation v. McCallum (2003), the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held that the Establishment Clause allowed public funding of a religious group’s substance abuse treatment program because its beneficiaries exercised true private choice in determining whether to use public funds for religious or secular treatment.
There are many other examples of tax money flowing to religious institutions, for all types of secular purposes. The Supreme Court has repeatedly held, that these types of taxpayer funding, do NOT facilitate the establishment of religion.
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The issue is entanglement and covert promotion. If the government picks up a church school’s expenses, then they have more money freed up to promote religion. Their purpose is religious.
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You say : Q If the government picks up a church school’s expenses, then they have more money freed up to promote religion. END Q
OK, If I say you are correct, and that the government (using the public treasury) picks up the expenses of running the school, then the public money will go to books, physical plant, salaries, expenses, etc.
And you are quite correct, that money is “fungible”. The private (church) money that was previously going to fund the school, will be freed up for religious purposes.
If you say that you want a “wall” (and so do I) between the religion and the government, then that is exactly what you are getting.
The public money goes to educational expenses, and the private religious money can go to religious expenses. This reinforces the wall, and makes the separation more profound.
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No public money should ever go to any religious anything. Religion is man made BS to control the masses. Practice your religion in private. Religions get tax free status and now want money from the government as well as sticking their 2 cents into politics? It doesn’t get more crazier than that.
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So TRUE!
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YEP!
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Religious organizations do not pay taxes. They should not be eligible for additional benefits from taxpayers.
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Totally AGREE!
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The irony is that religious groups like the Puritans originally came to America to escape persecution by the Church of England from whom they had separated and which was also part of the English state.
In other words, their primary reason for leaving England was that here was no separation of church and state.
Now, these religious groups apparently want to recreate the previous situation where Church and State have merged.
It is all very curious.
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Although the Puritans were more than willing to persecute anyone who did not follow the Puritans beliefs. We didn’t need the example of a king who thought he was the divinely appointed ruler. We were busy persecuting each other right here in the colonies.
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There is some debate among historians. The fact is that the Puritans (also called Pilgrims), first left England for The Netherlands. There, they found complete religious freedom, the Dutch government permitted them free exercise.
The puritans left Holland, and went to the New World, for political freedom.
Fact is, as soon as their feet hit the ground, they established a state church, and prohibited any individual to practice any religion, other than the established church.
Roger Williams (and others) left the Massachusetts bay colony, and founded Rhode Island.
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The Founding Father’s passed the First Amendment to prevent any establishment of religion by government. They knew European history. They knew the violence, bloodshed, and havoc caused by religious factionalism.
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Agreed. The founders had a solid background, in what religious bigotry, and state-run religion could lead to. The 1st amendment does two(2) things. It prohibits the establishment of a state religion and it prohibits government from prohibiting the free exercise of religion.
The founders knew, instinctively, that by keeping government money out of religion, that both government and religion would thrive. In most respects, their decision has proven accurate.
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Not in Fl. schools. Thanks to the Gov. signing off on 7069. Which the Republican legislative passed.
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Not sure I understand the reference.
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Roy,
Florida legislature recently passed HB 7069, which is a giveaway to charter schools and will hurt public schools. The Florida legislature is loaded with people who have financial investments in the charter industry.
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This has nothing to do directly with education, but it seriously shows how conservatism is taking over our local TV stations to broadcast Fox-type political views. Scary stuff!!!
…………………….
Sinclair Broadcast Group: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
LastWeekTonight
“With Sinclair [Broadcast Group], they’re injecting Fox-worthy content into the mouths of your local news anchors,” host saysJohn Oliver on ‘Last Week Tonight’
Published on Jul 2, 2017
Sinclair Broadcast Group is the largest owner of local TV stations in the country. That’s alarming considering that they often inject political views into local news.
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