Supreme Court to hear charter school case
Wednesday case concerns schools, faith and funding
WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - The proposed first ever religious charter school in the nation will make its case before the Supreme Court Wednesday. Oklahoma’s Saint Isidore School is looking to justices to give it the green light.
Charter schools operate in a middle ground between public and private institutions.
The Supreme Court must decide if tax funding for a religious charter school violates the separation of church and state.
The State of Oklahoma says public money cannot go toward funding religion, leading the Catholic Saint Isidore School to sue.
The school argues, there are all kinds of schools allowed in the charter program, and their exclusion means discrimination.
Ilya Shapiro is a Supreme Court watchfer for The Manhattan Institution
“This is a broadly available program, and you’re disqualifying us purely because we’re religious, even though we abide by every other regulation.”
Proponents argue there are benefits to religious and government partnerships. The Manhattan Insitution’s Ilya Shapiro
“The government contracts with private, including religious entities for a lot of social services, whether it’s homeless shelters, whether it’s trash pickup.”
The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools filed against Saint Isadore. The group argues their claim goes against how the system operates.
Eric Paisner is with National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.
“In the history of charter schools, for 30 plus years, in 47 states as of last week, they’ve all been declared to be public schools.”
The group worries if the Supreme Court classifies charter schools as private, charter schools across the country could lose out on the public funding system that allows them to exist.
Eric Paisner points out, “There are nearly four million students in charter schools across the country, so that would be a huge potential risk and change for lots of students across the nation.”
Justice Amy Coney Barrett has recused herself from the case – leaving the possibility of a 4-4 tie vote.
In that case – the lower court’s ruling against the school would stand.
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