Public school boosters support parochial, too
Published: August 14, 2016
I read with interest Tiffany Albertson’s response to Phyllis Bush’s op-ed about vouchers (Aug. 3). I am a retired public school teacher with 28 years of experience. In the interest of transparency, I need to note that I, like Bush, am a member of Northeast Indiana Friends of Public Education. Albertson, the principal of a school that benefits greatly from vouchers, did not tell us her role at Bishop Luers – and I find that to be troubling and hypocritical.
Albertson talks about her school’s diversity. While a diverse population might be the case at Luers, it is not the case in many schools accepting vouchers. Schools accepting vouchers do not have to accept all students and are able to pick and choose the students they will educate. Public schools welcome all students all the time.
I am fully supportive of parents who desire a parochial education for their children. This has long been a valued option in American education. My problem is with public education money being used for religious education, which is what is happening with our current voucher system. Some families want a parochial education; others do not. But I think that those who cannot afford private education should seek help from their church and not from the public school coffers.
I, along with Bush and the other members of NEIFPE, will always be opposed to money being diverted from public schools to private and parochial schools. We at NEIFPE have never said that parochial schools do not do a good job. We simply say public dollars for public education.
Meg Bloom
Fort Wayne
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