Editorial Staff

Nationally Syndicated Columnist George Will Covers Pioneer’s SCOTUS Amicus Brief Topic on School Choice

/0 Comments/in , , /by Editorial Staff
Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on
LinkedIn
+

For many years, Pioneer Institute has been a leader in the effort to repeal the Blaine Amendments, legal barriers in Massachusetts and nearly 40 other states that prevent more underprivileged schoolchildren from being able to attend religiously affiliated schools.

Now, nationally syndicated columnist George Will is lending his powerful voice to this important cause with a Washington Post op-ed calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to repeal these harmful amendments. In his column, Will echoes points Pioneer has raised many times over the years (most recently in The Daily Caller), exposing the ugly roots of opposition to school choice: 19th-century anti-Catholic bigotry promoted by the Know-Nothing Party and later in that century by corrupt GOP leader, James Blaine, “the continental liar from the state of Maine.”

The sad legacy of the Blaine Amendments today is the struggle of millions of parents to cover tuition costs to send their children to non-public schools better suited to their individual needs. A tuition tax credit scholarship program that would have helped parents like Kendra Espinoza, a single mom in Montana, was shut down by the Montana Department of Revenue and the state Supreme Court, citing the Blaine Amendment.

The U.S. Supreme Court is now deciding whether or not to hear petitioner Kendra Espinoza’s appeal, and Pioneer recently filed an amicus brief in support of her case. As Pioneer executive director Jim Stergios said, “Kendra Espinoza, like so many other parents, sought the education that best suits the needs of her children. It is hard to believe that an amendment steeped in anti-Catholic bias still stands in her way 130 years after its passage.” The Court is expected to announce whether it will hear the case in early summer.

Kendra Espinoza and her two daughters

Photo credit: Institute for Justice

Closer to home, Massachusetts has the oldest Blaine Amendments, thanks to the anti-Catholic Know-Nothing Party, which arose in response to a spike in Catholic immigration during the Irish Potato Famine. Pioneer Institute has published numerous reports and op-eds, held public forums, and made countless media appearances calling for their repeal. In 2018, Pioneer produced a documentary, “Big Sacrifices, Big Dreams: Ending America’s Bigoted Education Laws,” that chronicles the struggles of four families from Massachusetts (in Framingham and Fall River), Michigan, and Georgia, all states with Blaine Amendments, to send their children to parochial schools. View the film here:

Related Research & Commentary:

Dr. Howard Fuller on School Choice & Presidential Politics

0 Comments
/
Cara and Bob talk withthe the great Dr. Howard Fuller, Distinguished Professor of Education, about his passionate activism on behalf of education reform, his concerns about the lack of support among Democratic presidential candidates for charter schools & more!

VIDEO: Making a Difference Through METCO

A new video about the METCO program centers around the friendship between two Wayland High School students; one who lives in Wayland and the other from Boston. It also features interviews with METCO CEO Milly Arbaje-Thomas and Mabel Reid-Wallace, Director of Wayland's METCO program.

Pioneer Institute Files Updated Amicus Brief in Potentially Landmark School Choice Case Currently before U.S. Supreme Court

0 Comments
/
In the wake of the United States Supreme Court’s June decision…

The Learning Curve: National Education Podcast

“The Learning Curve” is where you’ll find straight talk about the nation’s hottest education stories - news and opinion from the schoolyard to the 2020 campaign trail.

Press Release: Choice Media, Pioneer Institute, and Ricochet Announce New Education Podcast

“The Learning Curve” to feature Bob Bowdon, Cara Candal,…

Tackling equity at Boston’s exam schools

0 Comments
/
By Jim Stergios August 2, 2019 This spring, The New York Times…

The Supreme Court Is Set To Decide Whether Religious Kids Are Allowed A Good Education

0 Comments
/
Thanks to Kendra Espinoza, a determined Montana mom, the U.S. Supreme Court will take up and hopefully strike down the infamous legacy of state Know-Nothing and Blaine amendments. From Massachusetts to Michigan and across the nation, this case has the potential to overturn a century and a half of state constitutional discrimination against religious families and their quest for the most suitable and effective education for their children.

Pioneer Alert: Supreme Court Will Rule on Highly Significant School Choice Case

0 Comments
/
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) announced that it would…

Study Finds Student Growth Percentile Is Unreliable, Limits Access to Charter Public Schools

High degree of error, especially in small school districts, leads…

Watch: Pioneer’s Jamie Gass Presents History of Blaine Amendments at Heartland Institute – National School Choice Week 2017

Learn more about how you can help end bigoted education laws!