Pastors for Texas Children is one of the best friends of children and public schools in Texas and, increasingly, in other states as well. Under the leadership of Rev. Charles Foster Johnson and Dr. Charles Luke, PTC is working in other states to organize church leaders to preserve the separation of church and state and to support children and public schools in their communities.
Pastors for Texas Children has been a powerful force in stopping the passage of vouchers in the Legislature, not by lobbying but by standing for its principles—love of children, families, communities, and religious liberty.
I want to add a personal note: Charlie Johnson, I love you. You make me proud to be a Texan!
Charles Foster Johnson writes, on behalf of Pastors for Texas Children:
“As we enter this most holy season of the year, we turn our hearts in humble gratitude to God for the mission and ministry God is giving us through Pastors for Texas Children. It is remarkable what God has allowed us to accomplish together in four short years.
“Because of you and your witness, faith leaders and educators are banding together all over Texas to stand firm for public education as a provision of God’s Common Good.
“Not only do we have 2000 pastors and congregational leaders here in Texas, but we are also expanding our mission to other states. Pastors for Oklahoma Kids is up and running and conducting a successful mission on behalf of public schools there. We have organizational meetings happening now in Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi, and robust conversations with leaders in Arizona, Arkansas, Alabama, Missouri, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.
“The most significant part of our witness is the actual compassionate assistance and help we are able to provide for neighborhood and community public schools. Countless thousands of churches are now joining in creative partnership in school improvement projects and one-on-one child mentoring and tutoring. Children are growing and learning. Teachers are empowered and encouraged. Lives are being touched and changed.
“In short, God’s Word of Love is becoming fleshed out.
“We were able to bring our witness to bear in grassroots communities all over Texas to block private school vouchers once again in the Texas Legislature. We have become a trusted moral voice in Austin.
“Influential media such as the Dallas Morning News, Washington Post, Austin American Statesmen, NPR, Texas Tribune, Houston Chronicle, and Baptist Standard are taking note of our work.
“Our own social media messaging has gained a large following this past year, mobilizing and encouraging a strong pro-public education message, as well as underscoring our bedrock conviction for religious liberty and church/state separation.
“Many education advocacy groups are recognizing our work and witness together. We spoke at the annual meetings of Texas Association of School Administrators, Texas Association of Community Schools, and many other gatherings of influential educators. On your behalf, we were privileged to accept the “Friend of the Year” award from Friends of Texas Public Schools.
“Denominational groups such as the Baptist General Convention of Texas that birthed us, the United Methodist Church, and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship are initiating mission partnerships with PTC.
“Furthermore, national organizations such as the wonderful Network for Public Education and the Center for American Progress have recognized our work and created platforms for our message. National public education advocates such as Carol Burris, Diane Ravitch, and Randi Weingarten have become good friends and colleagues to us.
“There is much work yet to do. But, for now, as we slow down and enjoy our families and congregations this Christmas, we pause and give thanks.
“And we remember that “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it.”
God’s peace to you all!”
Rev. Charles Foster Johnson – Executive Director, Pastors for Texas Children
—
Rev. Charles F. Johnson
M: 210-379-1066
Dr. Charles Luke
M: 940-768-8594
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Johnson is the author of my memorable quote from 2017. “Public education is a conservative value.” I am so glad the Texas pastors are reaching out to other red states.
He goes on to explain that, “True conservatives rally around our neighborhood and community public schools as the primary vehicles for perpetuating civil society, strengthening our economy and ensuring our continued leadership in the world. This is why our Texas pastors overwhelmingly support them.
Public education advances conservative values through early investments to give every student a fair shot and the tools needed to pursue a more prosperous, self-sufficient future. These investments reap significant long-term economic dividends and savings because they produce fewer societal problems, benefiting all Texans.”
https://www.baptiststandard.com/opinion/voices/voices-public-education-as-a-truly-conservative-texas-value/
LikeLike
That is a wonderful quote. Thanks for reminding us of it.
LikeLike
Also, real conservatives don’t tear down traditional institutions. That is anarchist.
LikeLike
“Public education is a conservative value.”
An even better, more inclusive thought:
“Public education is an American value!”
Why exclude those who do not consider themselves to be conservative?
Could it be that not having religious beliefs is not conservative and therefore not worthy of consideration?
PUBLIC EDUCATION IS AN AMERICAN VALUE!
No one group can claim public education for itself.
LikeLike
I am a “real” conservative (on many, but not all issues. I am 100% for reproductive rights, and LGBT rights).
I am not interested in tearing down any institution.
LikeLike
Except for public schools, which you tear down with almost every comment.
Honesty is the best policy.
LikeLike
I have nothing but praise for the public schools in Fairfax County VA, and I have said so repeatedly. The public schools here, are some of the finest in the nation, and they have honored me, by accepting me as a substitute teacher.
I do not tear down public schools.
Nevertheless, I believe that no government institution is above criticism. I believe sincerely, that public schools can stand some improvement (and this includes FairfaxVA)
The public schools in our national capital are a disgrace, notwithstanding the attempts at reform. (The attempts did not “take”)
People who wish to perpetuate the public school monopoly, should at least admit that the institutions they say they cherish, are deserving of “tough love”.
I have many faults, but dishonesty is not one of them.
LikeLike
It is wonderful to see these Protestant congregations band together to support separation of church and state. I wonder if something similar could be started in a major Catholic diocese.
LikeLike
There are many different people, who are opposed to school choice/vouchers, for many reasons.
But, the Supreme Court has settled the church/state issue, over 15 years ago. See Zelman v. Simmons-Harris (2002).
As they say in Texas: “That dog won’t hunt”.
It is possible, that Roman Catholics, could make common cause with the Protestant opponents of school choice/vouchers.
“Politics make strange bedfellows” – Author unknown.
LikeLike
Zelman is an interesting case, & hardly ‘settles the church/ state issue.” There are many details there. Zelman could not be used to support a statewide voucher program as it is specifically tied to a crisis situation, poor kids in a geographical area w/consistently failing schools. It would also fail to support a significant voucher (e.g. 90% of per-pupil allotment), as Rehnquist’s opinion was based in part on the failure of the low voucher amount to promote attendance at the predominantly religious alternative schools.
LikeLike
Zelman is more than an interesting case, it is a landmark. Children are attending religiously-operated schools all over this land, because of the mandates in case. (People who are on Medicaid, get medical treatment at religiously-based hospitals, People who are on food stamps redeem them at church-operated food pantries,etc).
If there were any objection to a state-wide voucher program, and parents redeeming the vouchers at church-operated schools, why has there been no (successful) challenge to the existing voucher programs, in states like Indiana?
Zelman is an much as part of our constitutional fabric, as is Brown v. Board of Education (1954).
Give it up.
LikeLike
@Bethree5: You need to check out the reasons why so many Roman Catholic dioceses run parochial schools. I believe you will see, that many (not all) Roman Catholics are in favor of school choice, and giving parents the option to opt-out of public schools.
LikeLike
Your usage of “school choice” here is very misleading, Chas. Do some RC parents choose to send their children to RC schools? No doubt (I went K-12 RC schools). But being in favor of sending one’s children to a religious based school is not necessarily the same as being for “school choice” (as it is currently used in education policy/political analysis).
Please give some sources for your statement “that many (not all) Roman Catholics are in favor of school choice”. And what constitutes “many” in your sentence?
LikeLike
Check out this article, about the Arlington (VA) diocese schools. see
http://catholicherald.com/News/Local_News/Why_non-Catholics_select_Catholic_schools/
Q In the four Arlington diocesan high schools, non-Catholics account for, on average, 13 percent of the student body. END Q
You see, 13 percent of the student body is non-Catholic, that means that 87 of the balance are Roman Catholics.
You can easily infer, that many (not all) Roman Catholic parents in the USA, are in favor of “school choice”. Some (not all) go ahead any pay the tuition/costs at the Catholic school for their children, and pay public school taxes as well.
True, being in favor of “school choice” for our own children, does not necessarily mean, that you favor the concept of school vouchers/ESAs for the entire population.
Point taken.
In California, about 66% of Hispanics (in a recent Survey) professed support for school choice/vouchers. Since many (not all) Hispanics are Roman Catholics, you can infer that the Hispanics who are Catholics, would favor school choice.
LikeLike
Charles I ditto what Duane says here. The RC community is pretty huge in my area (& I am RC): way too big to categorize politically. My experience is that in areas with excellent public schools like mine the choice for K-8 parochial is personal; there’s some grumbling about ‘paying twice’. Among middle & lower-class folk there are plenty of gripes along these lines: you could maybe talk them into a pro-school-choice position but what they’ve got in mind is tuition help for the generally-good parochial alternative, not wholesale distribution of school taxes to whatever alts turn up.
I am more interested in the church position. It looks like the RC establishment has pretty much caved over the yrs & will do whatever it takes to get whatever govt support they can for the dwindling parochial school presence. But I remember reading a couple of articles in Cath periodicals warning against jumping on the voucher bandwagon for fear of inevitable eventual govt interference in curriculum/ mgt. I’ve read similar articles in the Texas Protestant press – I suspect this is the main concern underlying Texas Pastors mission.
BDeVos made it pretty clear in confirmation hearingsthat her preference is for unmonitored/ unregulated voucher schools. But that is an extreme position unlikely to get past Congress – regardless, experience is pretty clear that where public $ is provided, strings eventually get attached. Given the bassackward centralized stds/ overtesting/ accountability mentality still prevalent among centrist Reps & Dems, religious voucher proponents should look down the road & think twice.
LikeLike
Phenomenal movement! Thank God.
LikeLike
Catholic education flowered in an era when the public schools were Protestant without apology. Traditional private schools grew up in an era when public education was almost nonexistent in my part of the country. During this time, no tax money was sent to these institutions.
During the GI bill days, when massive amounts of money were given to vets to spend anywhere, the majority of religious associated institutions were not places of political extremism.
Today we have two problems associated with tax money going to religious institutions. Many are advocates of political positions that border on fascism. Some support male-dominance attitudes, militarism that borders on World War I stuff. Then there is e rejection of science.
Add to that the harmful effects of other choice attempts to change public education, and it becomes too much to,suggest that any good will come of all this.
LikeLike
The above comment was in response to Charles’ comment about Catholic Schools. Sorry for the placement.
LikeLike
I know this is not your main point, Roy, but this intrigues me: “Catholic education flowered in an era when the public schools were Protestant without apology.” What do you mean by this & how do you see it was manifested? I was raised in a mixed family, but my exposure to Catholicism (via my Catholic grandfather) was limited to a couple masses annually until middle-school when Ma dragged us sibs to back-to-back Prot/Cath service Sundays (eventually I converted). I easily could have missed Prot overtones in ’50’s primary grades. What were they?
LikeLike
Meaning even once I was immersed in both (age 11 on), I didn’t pick up on any unapologetic Protestantism in pubsch.
LikeLike
See this article:
https://mises.org/library/progressive-era-and-family
The “progressives” in the early part of the 20th century, attempted to “protestantize” the new Catholic immigrant children. The USA Catholic church set up schools, to keep the children from dropping out of the Catholic church.
See the film “Doubt”, with Meryl Streep. She creeped me out as a school principal.
LikeLike
I agree that the outrageous attempts of publicly-operated schools, to “protestantize” the new waves of Roman Catholic immigrants, was the major impetus of the (USA) Catholic church to set up schools.
I went to college on the GI Bill. The government did not care, if I went to Notre Dame, Catholic University of the USA, Southern Methodist, or BYU.
There is no problem with K-12 children attending schools operated by religious institutions. This has been settled constitutional law, for over 15 years. Just like Brown integrated the schools, Zelman clarified the constitutionality of assisting parents in sending their children to religiously-operated schools. I wish everyone would just listen to the Supreme Court, and drop the bogus constitutional objections.
What are the “harmful effects” of other choice programs? How does having parents who are unsatisfied with their local public schools, withdrawing their children from the schools that the parents do not like? The schools are then not required to teach the newly-absent students. The schools can keep on with their same old ways, and not have to change at all.
I believe that all kinds of good, will result from giving parents the ability to opt-out of publicly-operated schools.
LikeLike
We must all work diligently to get the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy to repudiate vouchers, and fully embrace public education as a social justice provision of God for all children. The overwhelming majority of Catholic kids— as well as all kids— are educated in traditional public schools. The Catholic bishops— wonderful advocates for God’s Common Good in so many areas— are morally obtuse about this issue. Faithful Catholic pastors and teachers must lovingly confront their bishops about this.
LikeLike
@cfjohnson78217: Why? Why would you say that? The Roman Catholic church operates many fine schools all across this nation (and in foreign nations). In Arlington County VA, 13 percent of the student body is non-Catholic (in the schools operated by the Catholic church). This shows me, that non-Catholics have respect for the schools, and for the excellent education that they are proffering to the students.
And what do publicly-operated schools, have to do with the Deity? Publicly-operated schools, are a secular concern, and prohibited from promoting religion. See Abingdon v. Schempp (1963).
Of course 90% of American school children are educated in publicly-operated schools now. This is because only wealthy people can afford to pay both school taxes, and tuition/costs at non-public schools.
What possible reason would the Roman Catholic leadership have to close down their many excellent schools?
LikeLike