Presidential candidate Joe Biden has been very direct on school choice programs such as vouchers and tax breaks for donations to schools, which could be a problem among some Catholic voters.
Brian Burch, CEO of Catholic Vote, a Madison, Wisconsin-based Catholic political advocacy group, recently stated that in Wisconsin alone Catholic schools could stand to lose $142 million if the state's Parental School Choice Program were terminated, according to coverage by the Milwaukee City Wire.
While the president doesn’t have the power to end state school choice programs directly, any future administration that opposed the programs could use the U.S. Department of Education to pressure states to either get rid of the programs or lose federal funding, according to the Milwaukee City Wire.
Bucks County resident Michael Phillips, a member of St. Andrew Parish since 2008, recently spoke with Central Bucks Today on how funding for Catholic schools is likely to inform his voting.
Everyone, regardless their belief system, will ultimately fall back on their beliefs and those priorities when voting, and it should be no different for Christians, Phillips said.
“You use your Christian values to inform your judgements about your family, about your relationships, and it should also inform your vote,” Phillips told Central Bucks Today.
And one of those values for Phillips is funding for Catholic schools, he said.
“I think Catholic schools – private schools of all types – provide a great education option,” Phillips told Central Bucks Today.
Private schools give parents a little more say in how their children are educated and the quality of education they can receive, as well as the values they are educated by, he said.
“Voting for candidates at all levels who will support school choice and support the private school structure, is important to me, and it should be important to others as well,” Phillips told Central Bucks Today.
Alerts Sign-up