WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Supreme Court has endorsed school vouchers, allowing public money to be used for religious school tuition. Parents must be able to choose among a range of religious and secular schools, according to the 5-4 ruling June 27.
Voucher programs are in place in Florida, Cleveland and Milwaukee. The court ruling addressed only a six-year-old pilot program in inner-city Cleveland, but is expected to protect other programs, according to The Associated Press.
Under the Cleveland program, parents can use a tax-supported stipend to send their children to religious or other private schools in the city or to public schools in adjacent districts. The program is open to students in kindergarten through eighth grade, with preference given to poor families, according to the AP.
Nearly 4,400 children are using the vouchers, which range from $1,875 to $2,250 per student each year.
National Education Association president Bob Chase said the voucher program could financially cripple needy public schools. Public schools receive government funding based in part on how many students are enrolled.
"Vouchers are not reform," Chase told the AP, noting public schools have improved in reading and math.
"Vouchers are a divisive and expensive diversion from continuing progress in these areas," he said.
