Disastrous Government Schools

Last
week, President Bush announced a massive education relief plan for the victims of
Hurricane Katrina. Of the $2.6 billion education package,
$1.9 billion will go directly to school districts (except
in Louisiana and Mississippi), including charter schools
enrolling at least 10 displaced children. The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act,
passed in 1987, ensures that homeless students, or
children who lose their homes in a natural disaster, have
access to schools. School districts across the United
States are stepping up to the task, accommodating more
than 370,000 displaced students.

President Bush
has also proposed $488 million to help with private or
religious school tuition, with vouchers worth up to $7,500 given to
displaced families for the 2005-06 school year.
Nationally, about 11 percent of K-12 students are enrolled
in private schools; but in four of Louisiana’s hardest-hit
parishes (including New Orleans), almost one-third
(61,000) of students attended local private schools − not
a strong vote of confidence in the area’s government
schools.

While the education establishment is
praising proposed aid to public schools, they are
balking at providing assistance to displaced families who
chose private schools. Not surprisingly, Senator Edward Kennedy accused Bush of
igniting a “partisan, political debate.”
Kennedy went on to say, “These families need real relief,
not ideological battles that threaten to slow down their
recovery.” Some might say Bush’s plan does provide
“real relief,” especially for those families whose choices
fall outside the “government school” paradigm. I seriously
doubt these parents are calling this proposal a “partisan
political” ploy, as they try desperately to secure some
degree of educational normalcy and stability for their
children.

Meanwhile, another funding “storm” is
brewing, this one involving the Leandro case in
North Carolina. Last week, the “usual suspects” (those
advocacy groups braying an incessant chorus of “more
money”) filed a brief
urging judicial intervention by Judge Manning.
Specifically, these groups would like him to order the
state to spend an additional $190 million annually on K-12
education.

In their brief, these organizations
(including the American Civil Liberties Union of North
Carolina Legal Foundation, among others) decried “the
massive, documented failure of the executive and
legislative branches to provide each child with his/her
fundamental constitutional right to a sound basic
education.” This kind of judicial involvement in school funding is nothing new − to date,
45 states have dealt with some form of school finance
litigation. Will Judge Manning take the final step in
judicial activism, ordering state educational spending? We
may know soon: the next hearing in the case will take
place on Oct. 25th.

While North Carolina’s funding
lawsuit rages on, our neighboring state of Georgia could be the bellwether for some
significant judicial developments. Three Atlanta parents
have joined that state’s funding lawsuit, asking to have
the public schools declared unconstitutional. Instead of
more money, however, these parents want more choices for
students in failing schools. While their chance for
success seems slim, their case may be a sign of things to
come. Will we see this kind of parent activism in North
Carolina? Time will tell. In the meantime, keep your eyes
on the courts.

To learn about school choice, as
well as the latest education news, visit the Alliance
online at www.nceducationalliance.org. Check
out the “Headlines” section of our home page, updated
daily with articles from every major newspaper in the
state. At the Alliance, we are committed to keeping you
informed and empowered as we join together to improve
education for the children of North Carolina.