Tucker Haynes: Why Should Tax Dollars Go to Schools Designed to Segregate?
April 28 Correction:
If Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has her way, Congress will pass a substantial financial package to provide parents with vouchers for private school enrollment. This is a possibility, as a Congress dominated by Republicans is now keen on diverting public funds to private educational institutions.
However, this approach does not effectively enhance educational opportunities for children who are in need of better schools. Recent studies indicate that disadvantaged students who receive vouchers to attend private schools do not perform as well academically compared to their peers in traditional public schools.
There are multiple issues with taxpayer-funded vouchers. Firstly, they would allocate taxpayer dollars to exclusive schools that primarily serve the wealthy, essentially subsidizing classrooms that cater to the rich. Secondly, these vouchers would direct public funds to poorly managed and unaccountable schools, as many private schools lack academic oversight. Additionally, vouchers would result in public funds supporting religious schools, even if many taxpayers oppose the religious beliefs upheld by these institutions. Just imagine the response from conservative Christians if Muslim students were granted vouchers to attend a highly conservative Islamic school.
Furthermore, implementing a voucher system would mean taxpayer support for "seg academies" that still exist in the Deep South. These segregated private schools represent an offensive and un-American segment of the private school sector, originating from the resistance against the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954. During the 1960s and ’70s, the South saw the emergence of numerous segregated private schools as a response to the court’s ruling. While a few of these schools have progressed and now accept students of color, many remain predominantly or exclusively white.
For instance, in my hometown of Monroeville, Alabama, Monroe Academy, a segregation academy, has never enrolled a black student in its almost 50 years of existence. Some of these outdated institutions have reluctantly admitted black football or basketball players to improve their athletic prospects, but Monroe Academy has not taken such steps. Established in 1969, this school currently enrolls over 400 students, all of whom are white.
Why should my tax dollars be utilized to support schools that discriminate against students of color, particularly ones that were established to perpetuate the reprehensible tradition of racial segregation? Why would Congress want to allocate taxpayer funds to institutions that aim to keep white students separate from black and brown children? Isn’t the current divisive and fractious atmosphere of the Trump era already enough without providing public support to institutions that actively engage in racial discrimination?
DeVos, who hails from a wealthy family in western Michigan, may not be aware of the offensive history of segregated schools in the South. She also appears unconcerned about the evidence indicating that public schools nationwide have become increasingly segregated since the 1990s. Recently, she directed the Department of Education to terminate grants intended to help school districts promote socioeconomic diversity in classrooms, which could have also fostered racial diversity.
However, Senator Tim Scott, a vocal advocate for vouchers, does not have an excuse for his lack of awareness. As an African American Republican from South Carolina, Scott has proposed a bill that would provide substantial assistance to children from military families, covering elementary school tuition up to $8,000 and secondary school costs up to $12,000.
Concentrating efforts to enhance educational options on military families is peculiar, to say the least. Research demonstrates that students in schools operated by the Pentagon typically achieve higher test scores on average compared to their peers in traditional public schools.
Furthermore, given Scott’s familiarity with the history of state-sanctioned segregation in the Deep South, which is still perpetuated in certain private academies, this choice is even more perplexing. In an email exchange, Scott’s office reiterated his usual rhetoric regarding educational choice: "The CHOICE Act will help our most vulnerable students gain access to a quality education. The bill has the potential to benefit more than 6 million students, including children with disabilities, military families, and low-income students." However, there was no mention of taxpayer support for segregation academies.
Nevertheless, vouchers would greatly benefit such schools by making it easier for students seeking admission to afford the tuition fees.
In summary, vouchers would contribute to the thriving of such schools. Is this the educational legacy that the administration of President Donald J. Trump intends to leave behind?
This essay has been revised to correct the name of Senator Tim Scott.
