The American Jewish community has traditionally placed a high value on public education. Public schools play a central role in teaching democracy and common civic values and in fostering tolerance, respect, and appreciation for the diversity within our nation. The public school system will continue to educate the great majority of our children; therefore concern for its health is inherent in our concern for America's future.

Studies indicate that currently, too many students are failing to master basic skills in reading, math, and science in large urban schools, which enroll over 40 percent of the nation's low income and minority children. Plagued by limited resources, high concentrations of poverty and low expectations, urban schools in disadvantaged areas are unable to prepare an alarming number of America's children to meet the challenges of the new high-technology economy. In many cases, the poorest schools with the least experienced teachers and inadequate administrative support are serving children with the greatest needs. Over the past 30 years, a large body of research has shown that more of the difference between high and low performing school districts is explained by class size and teacher qualifications than by poverty, race, and parent education. Money, properly spent in these areas, can have a significant impact. Yet, disparities continue in annual per pupil expenditure between the poorest and the wealthiest school districts. Children subjected to widely disparate educational experiences cannot approach the challenges of life on a level playing field. Unless the nation addresses the funding needs of these schools, we risk perpetuating a distribution of educational opportunity that is fundamentally unequal.

The JCPA welcomed recent federal and state measures to reduce class size and add more teachers. At the same time, it is important to note that dollars allocated in the 1999 federal budget are a down payment on a seven-year $12 billion proposal. With budget balancing restrictions still in place, it is unclear where the funds will come from to continue the commitment. The federal budget, moreover, accounts for only six to eight percent of education spending and is unlikely to have a significant impact without added spending by the states. Meanwhile, businesses, civic organizations, and community groups are voluntarily providing some of the added financial and human resource support many schools need, including mentoring and literacy programs. The JCPA supports literacy efforts as a priority for communal work. Programs such as the National

Return to top of this page

Jewish Coalition for Literacy have proven successful in strengthening public education and the community, while creating a cadre of advocates for public schools.

The search for innovative school reform has generated increasing interest, as well as federal support, for publicly funded charter schools, which operate free of many state regulations. Viewed by some as potential alternatives to traditional public schools, proponents have said that charter schools often cater to hard-to-educate students and offer progressive educators opportunities to implement long sought reforms. Yet, adequate oversight of charter schools remains a concern, and information about the degree to which student learning may be improved awaits the outcome of studies now underway. There are also concerns about the risk of diverting to charter schools scarce public dollars urgently needed to strengthen seriously under-financed traditional public schools. The risk of potential church-state problems, if religious groups operate charter schools, has also been noted, and questions have been raised about charter schools established with a specifically ethno-centric focus, which effectively segregate some school populations. As a result, while recognizing the innovative value of these schools, properly regulated, the JCPA will continue to monitor the charter school movement, to assure that schools operate within constitutional boundaries consistent with existing JCPA interpretations regarding the separation of church and state, and that schools do not violate state and federal anti-discrimination and civil rights laws.

The JCPA continues to oppose voucher programs that provide aid to sectarian schools as violating the First Amendment's "Establishment Clause." Moreover, the JCPA opposes vouchers that provide public dollars directly to non-public schools, whether secular or sectarian, believing this diversion of precious resources away from public education will undermine the public school system.

Finally, along with excellence in public education, safety remains a major concern. The JCPA believes our nation's children deserve to learn and grow in a place that is safe and free from the threat of violence. Recently, outbreaks of violence and death have engulfed public schools in several states. In light of these tragic events, the nation must redouble its efforts to ensure school safety, including support for violence intervention and after-school programs and efforts to reduce children's access to guns.

DISSENT

The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America (UOJCA) continues to favor educational choice programs. We believe that the Jewish community has traditionally been committed to principles including a commitment to social justice that seeks to minimize the role of wealth in securing one's basic needs, and a desire to stem the tide of assimilation that should lead it to support school choice initiatives. Moreover, we concur with the Supreme Court's well established reasoning that the Establishment Clause requires not hostility, but neutrality toward religious individuals and institutions. We join in expressing a commitment to a vibrant educational system, and we believe that school choice initiatives will improve the entire educational system for all of America's children.

Return to top of this page