WHEN THE SUPREME COURT hears oral arguments Wednesday concerning a decision by Montana’s Supreme Court to halt the operation of a tax credit scholarship program, the justices will face a debate that’s been roiling the nation for 200 years – namely, whether public funds can flow to religious schools.
A decision either way is set to have seismic implications, not just for states and their public school systems but also for the fate of the Trump administration’s No.1 education priority: a $5 billion tax credit scholarship. It could also serve to cement the president in the good graces of his important evangelical Christian base ahead of the 2020 election, or not.
“If this decision goes in a certain way it will be a virtual earthquake in terms of religious liberty and public education in this country,” says Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. Continue reading.