Vouchers are not the answer to education funding

To the editor:

The Alaska Constitution should not be changed to allow public dollars to go to any religious or private schools. Senate Joint Resolution 9 and House Joint Resolution 1 are not the answer to education funding. The resolution changes the Alaska Constitution to provide state money to religious and private schools. The resolution’s proponents claim its purpose is school choice. What the resolution does is open the door to state funding of religion.

The basis for the religious freedoms that we have in the United States are found in the events and politics of the 1500s in Europe and came about through the struggles and work of Roger Williams and others in the 1600s in what would become New England. Taxes were collected to fund the churches. People were tortured and put to death for not upholding the church’s doctrines or deciding to form their own churches. The people, who left Europe due to wanting freedom of religion, set up their own churches. These people were harsh on those within their colonies and the Native Americans by torturing and killing them when they would go against the tenets of the faith or not convert.

For those looking for scholarly information on the background on freedom of religion, I suggest reading two books. The first is “Roger Williams and the Creation of the American Soul: Church, State, and the Birth of Liberty” by John M. Barry. The second is “Liberty of Conscience: In Defense of America’s Tradition of Religious Equality” by Martha C. Nussbaum. Please remember that the freedom of religion is precious and there has been a long struggle to keep that freedom.

School choice already exists and our public schools offer a variety of options. If parents are unhappy with what is currently available through the public schools they can explore their options and become involved in the public school system. Parents can enroll their students in private or religious schools if they so choose as well. If finances are an issue, they can raise money with the help of friends and family and work for scholarships and grants from these private institutions.

Parents can also supplement what is publicly available or privately available with other educational opportunities such as private music lessons, art and religious studies.

I was raised in the American Baptist Church and I have the honor of serving as the pastor of the Church of the Covenant in Palmer. There are four freedoms recognized by American Baptists and other Baptist denominations. These freedoms are: Soul Freedom, Bible Freedom, Church Freedom and Religious Freedom. The idea of Religious Freedom states, “We believe in the freedom of religion, freedom for religion and freedom from religion. We support the separation of church and state, believing that such a separation is healthy for the church and the state.”

The idea of state funding of religious and private schools is an attack on this freedom and sets up the opportunity for religious coercion, favoritism and undue influence. It is a slippery slope and one fraught with inequality, injustice and divisiveness instead of “liberty and justice for all.”

The Alaska Constitution should not be changed to allow public dollars to go to any religious or private schools.

Sarah R. Welton

Wasilla