Cleveland School Vouchers Case Heard by U.S. Supreme Court Opponents say tax funding of religious schools violates constitutional separation of church and state

Interview by Between The Lines' Scott Harris.

The city of Cleveland Ohio's school voucher system offers parents the choice of sending their children to either public or private schools. But the program was challenged because taxpayer dollars were being paid to private religious schools.

The 6th U.S. Court of Appeals found the program to be unconstitutional holding that the voucher system violated the separation between church and state, and the case is now before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Proponents of Cleveland's voucher program say their plan offers students in the inner city's failing school system options to obtain quality education while giving parents the final choice in the type of school in which their children will be enrolled. Opponents assert that parents have no real choice in that 99.4 percent of the 4,000 students using Cleveland's vouchers attend private religious schools.

The group People for the American Way serves as a co-council for Ohio citizens challenging Cleveland's voucher program. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Dwight Holmes, education policy manager with People for the American Way, who explains why his group and many parents and policy analysts oppose school vouchers.

Contact People for the American Way foundation at (202) 467-4999 or visit their Web site at www.pfaw.org