Pay for school, pay for books, too
AS CHIEF TRIAL and appellate counsel for plaintiffs in the case of Moses, et al. v. Skandera, I must take exception to the Journal’s editorial of Oct. 12 decrying our Supreme Court’s unanimous decision holding as unconstitutional the lending of textbooks and other instructional materials to non-public schools.
The editorial totally ignores the fact that the New Mexico Constitution, in at least three separate provisions, prohibits this practice: “[No] funds appropriated, levied or collected for educational purposes, shall be used for the support of any ... private school” (Art. XII, Sec. 3); “No appropriation shall be made for ... educational purposes to any ... institution not under the absolute control of the state” (Art. IV, Sec. 31); and “[T]he state shall [not] lend [or] make any donation to or in aid of any association or public or private corporation” (Art. IX, Sec. 14). Our constitution has chosen not to disfavor religious schools or institutions, but all private schools and institutions, as well.
What part of our constitution does the Journal not understand? The foregoing language is clear; and it says what it means and it means what it says. For more than 105 years, our constitution has served us well.
It is specious for the Journal to suggest that, since private school parents pay taxes, they should share in public school revenues. We all pay taxes for certain benefits we do not choose to share in, voluntarily or otherwise, whether they be for parks, libraries, infrastructure, etc. As taxpayers, we do not get to choose which taxes we pay on the basis of whether we participate in or enjoy the benefits of those particular taxes.
If, contrary to our constitution, the loaning of books and other instructional materials to private schools was permitted, clearly private schools of all stripes would next be clamoring for public funds to be used for busing, for buildings, for teachers, etc. If parents wish to send their children to private schools, which is their constitutional right, they must be prepared to pay the related expenses and not to look to public funds for their support.
FRANK SUSMAN Santa Fe