“No money shall be drawn from the treasury, for the benefit of any religious or theological institution.”
– Indiana Constitution
If Indiana’s courts rule that school vouchers are constitutional because they benefit parents and kids, not religious institutions, they will change the intent of this language.
There is no question that vouchers will help some religious institutions – and in Indiana, that means numerous Catholic and Lutheran schools. Those schools are missions of their churches.
Consider, for example, what the Fort Wayne-South Bend Roman Catholic Diocese says about its schools on its website:
“Our mission is to see that every school in our diocese will model the teachings of the church, reinforce parental Catholic values, and contribute to the spiritual and academic growth of all Catholic children. …
“Our teachers and administrators … continue to provide school environments with a strong and present Catholic identity in order for children to practice and share the truth and beauty of their faith ”
And on its Web page, Concordia Lutheran High School discusses what is at its historical core:
“First and foremost, our faith: enduring and inspiring, Concordia remains a place where Christ is as the center of everything we do. This fundamental belief inspires our students, faculty and staff to serve others inside and outside these walls.”
I commend both churches for providing education based on religious beliefs. Parents should able to send their children to those schools.
But on the taxpayers’ dime? Should Hoosiers pay taxes to support these church missions? Make no mistake, if vouchers are approved, all Hoosiers will involuntarily give money to these and other religious institutions whenever they buy something (and pay sales tax) or get a paycheck (and pay state income tax).
And supporting church missions is not what tax revenue is for.
The fact is that voucher money will help parents, their children and these religious institutions.
If lawmakers had sought vouchers 100 years ago, there is little doubt that the Indiana Supreme Court would have rejected the practice, citing the clear language in the state Constitution.
Voucher supporters tend to be more conservative. Conservatives generally believe constitutions should be used based on their original intent, that the meaning of the words are not supposed to change with society and its values. To believe that our Indiana Constitution allows vouchers is to believe the constitution is a “living, breathing, evolving” document being bent to support popular will.
And it’s ironic that some of the school voucher defenders who say state taxes should enable people of lower income to choose private school don’t like their federal tax dollars going to help those same people buy medicine and pay rent.
