Just say NO . . .

Spot quotes first two sections of Article XIII of the Minnesota Constitution:

Section 1. UNIFORM SYSTEM OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS. The stability of a republican form of government depending mainly upon the intelligence of the people, it is the duty of the legislature to establish a general and uniform system of public schools. The legislature shall make such provisions by taxation or otherwise as will secure a thorough and efficient system of public schools throughout the state.

Sec. 2. PROHIBITION AS TO AIDING SECTARIAN SCHOOL. In no case shall any public money or property be appropriated or used for the support of schools wherein the distinctive doctrines, creeds or tenets of any particular Christian or other religious sect are promulgated or taught.

You will notice that Section 1 directs (choose mandates or requires if you prefer) the legislature to establish a “general and uniform” public school system, and that the system must be made "throughout the state." You have perhaps already apprehended that Section 1 does not carve out an exception for Minneapolis, Saint Paul, or anywhere else that the legislature may find it burdensome or inconvenient to maintain uniform schools.

The governor seems to think that the way to insure uniform public schools is to wreck them all.

Sec. 2 prohibits the appropriation or use of public money for sectarian schools. Spotty thinks this is a stricter standard than the US Supreme Court seems to be applying to the 1st Amendment to the US Constitution. (Watch for more on this in a subsequent post.) So far, vouchers, flying under whatever misleading flag is in fashion, have been unsuccessful in Minnesota. There have been myriad efforts over the years however, some of them successful, to begin to break this prohibition down.

It is plain that Minnesota’s founders (for these two sections have been in the Constitution since the founding of the state) intended that a quality public education be available to all students. It won't do, on "looking into the eyes of a Minneapolis or St. Paul parent," as Senator Michel said in the March town hall meeting, to say here's a little money so that some of your children can go elsewhere, insuring that the children who remain receive an even poorer education. Open enrollment already exists to permit many students to transfer to other public schools if they wish. Nor will it do to subsidize sectarian school so that some students will be encouraged to leave public schools and the per pupil formula will decrease funding to the publics schools.

A few years ago, the governor said that he wasn't promoting vouchers. Now they are one of the items on the cafeteria menu for ending the session. Vouchers are a terrible policy idea that run absolutely counter to constitutional principles that go back to the founding of Minnesota.

Senator Michel seems to have been a supporter of "school choice," a euphemism for vouchers from the get go.

Spot says vouchers are unconstitutional under the Minnesota Constitution and that the state opens itself to suit if it does not provide uniform schools or furthers a scheme to support sectarian schools.

Spot says to tell your legislators in District 41 that you are opposed to the governor's cynical and unconstitutional gambit on school vouchers.

Geoff Michel
Ron Erhardt
Neil Peterson