Give them that old-time religion

A lawsuit filed by a group of public-school teachers and backed by the Indiana State Teachers Association claims that state’s new school vouchers violate the state constitution by providing public money to religious institutions, and further undermine public schooling by giving public money to private schools. The state responds that, under the voucher program, the moneys used to pay tuition at the schools come from parents, not the state.

About 2,800 Indiana students have been approved for the state-funded vouchers, which allow even middle-class families to funnel a partial refund of their school taxes into private-school tuition, though there is some means testing.

Indeed, we must be always on guard against a state establishment of religion — though the teachers can be curiously selective in which constitutional proscriptions they find sacrosanct. But is Indiana en route to mandating all students attend schools run by some single religious sect? That’s far-fetched. Meantime, what’s the Indiana State Teachers Association doing to promote the establishment of more non-sectarian private schools, on the lines of Andover, Exeter, and Choate?

The latter suggestion is even sillier. Note the second cause for the union’s action: “undermining public education by giving public money to private schools.”

Those who prosper under the government schooling monopoly (no matter how pathetic their results) will fight to the last hall pass to prevent what they see as the “best” parents — those who care most about their kids’ educations — liberating the “best” students to pursue their maximum potential elsewhere.

Like old AT&T insisting telephones can only be rented and must be hard-wired to the wall, their battle is doomed unless they embrace the less expensive, more nimble and effective alternatives consumers are about to discover elsewhere.

Doing what’s best for “the children”? Not so much.