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Faith-Based Organizations and Public Schools: Unholy Alliance or Answer to Prayer?
By Bruce Prokopets
Faith-Based Organizations and Public Schools: Unholy Alliance or
Answer to Prayer?
Desperate times call for desperate measures.
At least Paul Vallas, CEO of the School District of Philadelphia, thinks so.
To combat the stinging pinch of public school budget cuts, he is touting a
highly controversial plan where public schools in his district
(approximately 276 in total) are adopted by a local church, synagogue,
mosque or temple and share precious resources.
To some, this seeming erosion of the separation of church and state
would constitute an unholy alliance.
To others - including Vallas - it would constitute an answer to prayer.
Besides, Vallas contends, the concept just makes good sense.
¡°There are tremendous social and economic problems in our schools,
and we need all the support we can get,¡± Vallas opines. ¡°If it takes a
village to raise a child, and you're not accessing what is many times the
strongest institution in that village, you are not accomplishing much.¡±
Amen. Hallelujah. Pass the offering plate.
And passing the offering plate is exactly what many faith-based
organizations have been doing, as supporters of the increased
involvement of faith-based institutions in the public school square are
putting their money where their mouths are.
As school budgets have been slashed, church coffers have been rapidly
filling up. Donation dollars given annually to community churches is on
the rise, giving faith-based organizations tremendous resources to buy
more - and better quality - materials that public schools often just cannot
afford.
Just ask Jon Rose, a Missoula, Montana based supplier of high-quality
choir folders to both public schools and faith-based institutions. His
company has witnessed it first-hand.
¡°By far, our largest sales are to faith-based organizations,¡± Rose states.
¡°They have a great deal of discretion in deciding how fixed assets are
purchased as compared to public schools. We make a 'Classroom' Choir
Folder designed and priced for the schools needs, and a 'Deluxe' Choir
Folder most often purchased by churches.¡± www.mymusicfolders.com
Rose continues, ¡°Public Schools often have miniscule budgets. In
financially strapped times, it is the funding for arts education - whether
teaching positions, or fixed assets - that gets cut first, leaving many
educators, parents, and students worried about the long-term
ramifications this will have on the quality of the educational experience.
Community churches don't have those same financial constraints. They
can purchase higher quality - and higher quantities - of materials. Is the
answer to ask the community church to 'adopt' their local public school? I
don't know if I agree with that, but in some parts of the country that's
definitely¡ where we're headed.¡±
However, not everybody is onboard the plan.
Those hell-bent on maintaining distinct lines separating the entities of
church and state raise a suspicious eyebrow at such community faith-
based organizations and public school partnerships as proposed in
cities such as Philadelphia.
Tom Hutton, a staff attorney with the National School Board Association
agrees. ¡°So much of what influences academic outcomes is what
happens outside the schools. Schools can't possibly do it alone.¡±
However, he warns, ¡°The intersection of public education and religious
faith is legally and politically fraught with peril.¡±
This spark, which has ignited such a heated firestorm of debate, has
been further stoked by a recent decision made by Judge Lawrence K.
Karlton, a federal judge in California. Judge Karlton determined that the
recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance - even when not mandatory -
¡°Impermissibly coerces a religious act¡± that ¡°places students in the
untenable position of choosing between participating in an exercise with
religious content or protesting.¡±
However, this view has been met with much public outcry.
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has vowed that the U.S. Justice
Department will aggressively appeal the ruling. Gonzales has said that
while the Pledge of Allegiance does contain the phrase ¡°one nation
under God,¡± it should also be regarded as an expression of patriotism
and national identity, not endorsement of religion.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor of California has also denounced the
ruling, strongly encouraging the affected California school districts to
appeal this ruling stating,
¡°Reciting the Pledge of Allegiance always reminds me of the history of
our nation's founding, the principles of our great democracy and the
many sacrifices Americans have made to protect our country.¡±
God Bless America.
While the debate over the issue of separation of church and state rages
on, the good intentions and generosity of faith-base organizations is
often squelched - due to recent court rulings - prohibiting their crucial
contribution of time, money, and support that many public schools
desperately need.
Religious organizations are not the only ones to show dismay at the
crumbling arts education in public schools. Many nonprofit foundations
and individual philanthropists are stepping up to the plate to ensure that
children and students receive a quality education in the arts.
One such money-raising effort is the campaign sponsored by VH1.
Called the ¡°Save the Music¡± campaign, VH1's goal is simply that - to
save the music education programs neglected in American public
schools.
While forming corporate sponsorships with major corporations such as
Proctor & Gamble and CBS News, they also partner with national music
educators and associations and foundations for the arts.
The ¡°Save the Music¡± foundation has contributed millions of dollars in
new and used musical instruments to local, public schools across the
United States. Schools from Los Angeles, CA to Milwaukee, WI have
benefited from this campaign as their music education programs are
revived, rejuvenated and re-established.
Bob Morrison, Executive Director of the VH1 Save the Music Foundation
enthuses, ¡°The response to our musical instrument drive has been
tremendous across the country. We're so appreciative of the support
we've received from our corporate partners, schools and students, our
affiliates and the retail collection centers nationwide¡±.
Many public schools are seeking money from sources outside the
Department of Education in reaction to these painful budget cuts. These
alternative sources can form a vital web of crucial support.
However, they also elicit considerable controversy and concern, as this
support often relies heavily upon churches and other faith-based and
religious organizations.
This controversy is requiring opponents on both sides of the aisle to
reconsider their strongly held views, seriously weighing their personal
convictions against what is best for the children.
In the meantime, Jon Rose just wants to sell some choir folders. Maybe
we can all agree on that.
Bruce Prokopets
Executive Editor
Press Direct International
www.pressdirectinternational.org
http://www.pressdirectinternational.org
About the Author
Press Direct International is a global information web site providing indispensable information tailored for professionals in the financial services, media and corporate markets. Our information is trusted and drives decision making across the globe.
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