“NO MORE CUTS TO KIDS’ FUTURES”

FAITH LEADERS, FAMILIES, AND ADVOCATES DEMAND CONGRESS PROTECT PUBLIC EDUCATION

“NO MORE CUTS TO KIDS’ FUTURES”

FAITH LEADERS, FAMILIES, AND ADVOCATES DEMAND CONGRESS PROTECT PUBLIC EDUCATION


WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Popular Democracy, Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools, Pastors for Children, faith leaders, impacted families and students from across the country rallied to demand Congress protect public education from damaging cuts to critical funding and programs in the reconciliation bill.


Speakers shared how important public education is to American society and criticized the reconciliation process for targeting public education in its severe cuts to the social safety net. In particular, the GOP’s reconciliation bill includes a $20 billion tax giveaway for vouchers to wealthy, private schools at the expense of Medicaid, the fourth largest funder of public schools. Not only will this bill deny healthcare to millions of Americans, but it will also leave public education vulnerable to defunding and privatization.


Speakers called out Republicans for abandoning public school students, and made a clear demand: No more cuts to kids’ futures. Instead, Congress and our political leaders must stop the Republican reconciliation bill and make meaningful investments in our public schools. 


“Public schools are the heart of our communities and the glue that holds together a functioning democracy — while the actions of this administration prove yet again their heartlessness. We all deserve access to free, high-quality education, and we will work tirelessly to defend it. Senators must lead with compassion as well as reason, and vote against this devastating reconciliation bill,” said Analilia Mejia and DaMareo Cooper, co-executive directors of Popular Democracy.


“One thing should be clear: Parents shouldn’t have to state a religious testimony to access a government benefit,” said Rev. Jennifer Hawks of Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. “Vouchers (for private religious schools) do not advance religious freedom. If we want healthy, strong churches in our community (...) We want public funds, in public schools, who have public accountability.”


“ECCA harms public schools, undermines the American principle of separation of church and state. (...) It is our moral responsibility to make sure our public education meets the highest standards. (...) Public education is vital because it serves all children without any form of discrimination, whereas private schools can reject students and staff based on their race, their ethnicity, their sexuality, and even based on their religion. We as faith leaders know that religious freedom is essential for our democracy. While we value religious freedom, it’s wrong for public dollars to be funding it. No citizen of our nation should be forced to fund another person’s religious beliefs. This violates the very spirit of what America is. When religion and government are co-mingled, it will hurt our government, it will hurt our nation, and it will hurt religion itself,” said Rabbi Robert Barr, Founding Rabbi of Congregation Beth Adam, Ohio.


“I come here from Texas, where our state Republicans passed a voucher scam in our state. (...) Vouchers simply don’t work — a $10k voucher scam cannot cover private education. For families living paycheck to paycheck, how can they cover the extra twenty, thirty thousand for tuition? And most private schools don’t accept vouchers, I know mine didn’t. What it is, is a tuition discount for ultrawealthy families already going to these schools,” said Ayaan Moledina of Students Engaged in Advancing Texas (SEAT). 


“We’re here in the shadow of this Capitol to send a message: No vouchers!” “Public education is an American value. The ink in the Constitution wasn’t even dry when John Adams said: ‘let there not be one square mile without a school in it, paid for not by a wealthy charitable person, but for the public at the public’s expense.’ For all children!” said Rev. Charles Foster Johnson, Founder and Executive Director of Pastors for Children. “...for 30 years in Texas, we have defeated vouchers in a bipartisan coalition, and here in the national legislature we are going to defeat vouchers in a bipartisan coalition. (..) Vouchers are a corruption of God’s common good.”


“Our public schools are a nourishing and stabilizing force in the lives of many American communities, the pillar in our communities, and the foundation of our democracy. More than 90 million American students attend public schools, but their education is threatened by million-dollar giveaways to the wealthy,” Grace Francis of Step Up Louisiana. “I want to stop, take off the bandaid, and represent the bleeding of the Black and Brown communities.”


“This administration seeks to harm the most vulnerable among us, and tries to hide behind their faith to do that. We’re here to remind them that Jesus taught us to feed and clothe those who are in need, and to treat people with dignity and respect,” said Kyla McKay, board member of Texas Impact. “As a substitute teacher, I have worked in many schools,and in all of them I see the same thing: dedicated educators on a shoestring budget spending their own money to close gaps that shouldn’t exist. (...) Republicans want to take more money out of our already underfunded public schools and give it to private institutions that pick and choose whom they would like to serve. If we allow this, foster children, children with disabilities, low-income families, and those committed to public education will be left behind in schools whose funding has been gutted.”


“Let us pray. God almighty, God all-wise, God all-loving, we, your humble advocates today, have come from near and far, believing in faith that our work will promote one nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all. To those who believe in true goodness, equitable grace, and universal mercy, we believe that our work here today will not be in vain,” said Rev. James Golden of Pastors for Florida Children. “We hope to find enough unhypocritical cooperation, unlimited compassion, and enduring courage among the Senators in this Federal government that will allow them to be a representative government, of the people, for the people, and by the people, and that will give them the spirit to defeat the pernicious evil of these vouchers, which this first anti-president and his minions seek for their own evil purposes.”

Latest Stories

Latest Podcast

STARR Community Services International, Inc.