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

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:

Boston Herald: Give proven providers a fair shot

0 Comments

October 16, 2012

The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education should put politics aside and support a new SABIS-run Brockton charter school.

Lawrence Eagle-Tribune: Lawrence’s big school problem needs a big, bold solution

0 Comments

October 14, 2012

Jim Stergios The Eagle-Tribune The usual rules apply when…

Pioneer Forum to Focus on SABIS® and the Role of For-Profit Charter School Management Companies

0 Comments

October 9, 2012

Pioneer forum on SABIS® and the Role of For-Profit Charter School Management Companies.

Fall River Herald News: Mass. should explore proven approaches to dropout prevention

0 Comments

September 1, 2012

There are three proven ways to reduce dropout rates that address this problem: regional vocational-technical schools, digital learning, and a serious refocusing on academic learning.

Lawrence Eagle-Tribune: Lawrence school reforms must target all students, not a select few

0 Comments

August 26, 2012

We must act swiftly and boldly to enact far-reaching reforms that impact all of the Lawrence school district’s 13,000 students, not just a fortunate few.