Colorado Supreme Court rejects Douglas County voucher program

[mountain grammy]

Source: Denver Post

In a nationally significant case involving religion, taxpayer dollars and school choice, a divided Colorado Supreme Court on Monday rejected the Douglas County School District's groundbreaking school voucher program as unconstitutional.

The wealthy suburban district's Choice Scholarship Program, which aims to use taxpayer money to send children to private schools, has been at the center of a four-year legal battle.

School district officials strongly indicated they would likely ask the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the case and pledged to seek a legal way to proceed with the voucher program as early as this fall.

More than nine in 10 students in the program — put on hold in 2011 as the first 304 students were to enroll — chose religious schools.

In a 4-3 decision on the constitutionality question, the state's highest court found the program conflicts with "broad, unequivocal language forbidding the State from using public money to fund religious schools."

Wrote the court "... this stark constitutional provision makes one thing clear: A school district may not aid religious schools."

Read more: http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_28401042/colorado-supreme-court-rejects-douglas-county-voucher-program

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Great news... on to the corrupt Supremes. What could possibly go wrong.

[AwareOne]

1. Good for Colorado

Vouchers are a scheme to get tax payers to foot the bill for other people's kids to go to private school, most of which are religious. Studies are showing that many students using vouchers never attended public school so they are not fleeing some "failing school". Vouchers are being pushed by Republicans and a few confused Democrats as a pay back to the religious right. More than likely the Republican legislature will find a way to do and end around this decision like they did in my state.

[mountain grammy]

3. Yes, and good for the Colorado Supreme Court for rejecting it.

[brer cat]

8. ...most of which

are probably also segregated.

[K lib]

2. I always cringe when I hear vouchers.

They always sucker parents into this by saying it gives the parents "choices" on where their kid will learn. While the true purpose is to funnel money out of the public school system.

[mountain grammy]

4. Yep, exactly.

[Laffy Kat]

5. Yes! Glad to hear it. nt

[madfloridian]

6. That is tremendous news.

Thanks for letting us know.

[HeiressofBickworth]

7. Vouchers are nothing more than subsidies for the rich

When private/religious schools' fees exceed the amount of the voucher, only kids with parents with enough money to make up the difference will be attending these "choice" schools. The balance of the students will still be going to public school but without the tax funds to provide for an adequate education, much less a superior education. Once again, it's government for the rich paid for by the not-rich.