NCJW President Urges Congress to Oppose Voucher Provisions in 2004 Budget

February 24, 2003, New York, NY -- Marsha Atkind, President of the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) issued the following letter to members of Congress today.

February 24, 2003

Dear Members of Congress;

On behalf of the 90,000 members, volunteers and supporters of the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW), I am writing to urge you to oppose any legislation that would divert public funds to non-public schools. NCJW is deeply concerned to see that the President's fiscal year 2004 budget request once again includes initiatives that would funnel public funds to private and religious schools.

Government funding of religious schools, including public funds to subsidize religious instruction, violates the First Amendment's principle of religion-state separation. Furthermore, vouchers and other programs that divert public money to private or religious schools harm the public school system. By siphoning limited funds needed for teacher training, smaller class sizes and expanded support services, among other improvements, vouchers drain essential resources away from public schools, endangering the ability of the public school system to meet the needs of students and provide an education to all children.

NCJW believes that support and improvement of the public school system must be a priority. This cannot be done through education vouchers or other initiatives that undermine the democratic institution of free public education.

Specifically, NCJW opposes both the tax subsidy for private and religious school tuition and the voucher demonstration project that are included in the Administration's budget proposal for FY04. I urge you to oppose any legislation that includes either of these provisions which do nothing to improve our nation's public education system.

Sincerely,

Marsha Atkind
National President

Related Content: Religious Discrimination, School Vouchers, Separation of Religion & State