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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:
Matt Dorf Jewish Community’s Public Affairs Arm Praises President Bush for Leading With Education, Vows to Improve Package By Striking Vouchers NEW YORK, Jan. 23 — Hannah Rosenthal, Executive Director of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, issued the following statement today in response to President George W. Bush’s education package: "President Bush deserves praise for placing the fate of America’s schools at the top of his legislative agenda. We could not agree more with President Bush, who said, ‘It’s time to come together to get it done, so that we can truthfully say in America: No child will be left behind, not one single child.’ While we find many aspects of the Bush education plan appealing and worthy of support, we will work with the White House and Congress to ensure that no child is left behind. Unfortunately, that is exactly what will happen if the federal government gets into the voucher business. JCPA remains vigorously opposed to the use of publicly funded vouchers to support private schools. At a time when many of America’s schools are failing, threatening to divert resources from the public school system is a scheme for continued failure, not a recipe for success. President Bush’s plan is also a violation of the Constitution because it would allow federal taxpayer dollars to fund private religious schools, a clear violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. Doing so would pose a grave risk of government entanglement in religious affairs. We welcome the opportunity to work with President Bush and Congress to craft the best education reform package that will lift our failing schools, support America’s teachers in their efforts to lift students to higher standards, and create a safe and secure learning environment." In 1998, the JCPA, the public affairs arm of the organized Jewish community that serves as the national coordinating and advisory body for the 13 national and 123 local agencies comprising the field of Jewish community relations, concluded an in-depth study that found that vouchers, like other quick-fix options, do not address the underlying problems facing the public schools. Recognizing that public schools are the primary route for most children into full participation in the nation’s economic, political, and social life, JCPA supports reform of the education delivery system, including improvements in early childhood education, in programs for schools in high poverty areas, and greater financial equity for all students, to ensure excellence in public education. In a resolution adopted last year, the JCPA added its support for charter schools as potentially effective vehicles for education reform. However, it said, because charter schools operate free of many state regulations, effective safeguards and adequately funded monitoring procedures must be in place to protect against abuses. ### JCPA is the public affairs arm of the organized Jewish community that serves as the national coordinating and advisory body for the 13 national and 123 local agencies comprising the field of Jewish community relations. |
