Richard Thornton, a teacher in Kentucky, wrote a letter to the editor of the Bowling Green Daily News to urge his fellow citizens to vote NO on Amendment 2, which would sneak vouchers into the Kentucky state Constitution.
As an educator for 30 years, I have witnessed teachers working tirelessly to help all students, regardless of their background or the support they receive from parents. It is demeaning to teachers to suggest that the shortcomings of an underperforming school are solely the fault of the teachers, and therefore, we should allow private and parochial schools to take over. This simply will not work. These schools will selectively choose the best students and will not have the resources to cater to those with mental or physical disabilities.
You are free to support the religion of your choice by donating to a specific religious school, but it is unfair to expect others, especially taxpayers, to support a religion that goes against their beliefs. We have a document called the Constitution that ensures the government does not endorse any particular religion.
If you choose to send your children to private or parochial schools, that is your prerogative, and you should bear the financial responsibility for it. Our public education system is the cornerstone of our nation’s future, and failing to fully support it with our time, resources, and funding will result in a society with a significant number of uneducated individuals. While it may be tempting to believe that private or parochial schools can outperform public schools, the truth is that statistically, they do not provide a superior education.
Vote NO on Amendment 2!