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Time Magazine
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Time Magazine
Trump's ‘Big Beautiful Bill' Will Devastate Public Schools
This week, Republican lawmakers are attempting to pass a budget reconciliation bill that pays for unprecedented handouts to the wealthiest Americans on the backs of cuts to programs that benefit most people. Hidden in this budget package before the House is a national private school voucher program funded through tax breaks for the wealthy that threatens to dismantle our system of public schools. According to Senator Ted Cruz, school vouchers are "the Civil Rights Issue of the 21st century.' The Texas Republican argues that vouchers are key to providing educational opportunities for young people. On the contrary, expanding vouchers and eliminating public education will actively harm young people—especially Black, Latino, and Indigenous students. President Donald Trump's so-called 'Big, Beautiful Bill' currently includes a provision hidden in the tax code that offers an unprecedented 100% tax deduction for donations to third party organizations that hand out private school vouchers. The push to create a national private school voucher program is part of a long legacy of efforts to return to the separate and unequal educational landscape of the pre-civil rights era. Since the 1960s, white segregationists pushed for private school vouchers to avoid the desegregation mandates of Brown v. Board of Education and maintain a discriminatory and unequal system of education. We urge lawmakers to drop the private school voucher program from the spending bill and keep it out of the final budget package. We also call on lawmakers to pass legislation that fully funds public schools, such as the Keep Our Pact Act. If the lawmakers fail to do so, it will set us on a dangerous course back toward a pre-civil rights era reality, defined by deliberate racial segregation and extreme disparities in school funding and resourcing. This private school voucher plan to strip millions of children of their opportunity to access free public education directly mirrors Project 2025. The issue with such a policy is that private school vouchers subsidize wealthy families who can already pay for private school, while decimating public schools for everyone else by diverting resources away from public education. Opponents of free and accessible education argue that voucher programs give families more choice. In actuality, school vouchers go toward private schools that choose which children to enroll, reject, or kick out. Public schools cannot choose which students to provide an education to. By law, they cannot discriminate against students based on their gender, race, disability, religion, English fluency, or LGBTQ identity. But by design, private schools selectively allow admission to a small number of students. They also routinely deny students enrollment for other reasons like grades, behavioral record, and ability to pay. The latter of which is particularly significant because research suggests most families can't afford the gap between the voucher and the rest of tuition. Families who can't access elite private schools, whether because they are discriminated against or can't pay the difference in tuition, are often preyed upon by predatory schools that have popped up in states that passed vouchers in recent years. Horror stories abound of strip mall schools where no learning happens, where doors shutter mid-year, and where students don't have teachers. Meanwhile, public schools, which serve 90% of American students and 94% of students of color—are forced to do more with less. Students learn from outdated textbooks and old computers while overworked teachers are tasked with educating children who aren't getting the resources they need. A choice between a private school that can reject or discriminate against your child and an under-resourced public school is hardly a choice at all. The draconian cuts to public education caused by vouchers are even leading to a new wave of school closures, disproportionately impacting schools in Black and Brown neighborhoods, and forcing students to start over in unfamiliar environments, often traveling farther from home and adapting to new teachers and peers. When neighborhood schools close, Black and Brown communities lose community centers, polling places, access to services, and vital civic infrastructure, and in some cases lose their communities altogether. Grassroots organizers in Black and Brown communities across the U.S. are fighting back to save their public schools from closure. They have packed board meetings, lead school walk-outs, and even held hunger strikes. They are on the frontlines of local fights against voucher programs and to support and keep their public schools. The future of our public schools—schools that serve every child for free—are on the line. Instead of gutting our public schools, lawmakers should invest in them and restore the promise of equal education that the civil rights movement fought for.
San Francisco Chronicle
24-06-2025
- Health
- San Francisco Chronicle
A West Virginia parent sues seeking a religious exemption from required school vaccinations
CHARLESTON, (AP) — A West Virginia woman filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking a religious exemption from required school vaccinations for her young child. Miranda Guzman alleges that the state's vaccine mandate violates a 2023 West Virginia law that stipulates the government would not be able to 'substantially burden' someone's constitutional right to freedom of religion unless doing so 'is essential to further a compelling governmental interest.' Guzman sued the state and local boards of education and the county schools superintendent in Raleigh County Circuit Court. West Virginia was among just a handful of states that granted only medical exemptions from school vaccinations when Republican Gov. Patrick Morrisey issued an executive order in January allowing religious exemptions. However, the state Board of Education voted this month to direct public schools to ignore the executive order and instead follow long-standing school vaccine requirements that are laid out in state law. Also, two groups have sued over the governor's order, saying the Legislature, not the governor, has the authority to make such decisions. Guzman obtained a religious exemption to the vaccine mandate from the state health department and enrolled her child in elementary school for the 2025-26 school year. But on June 17, Guzman received an email from the Raleigh County school superintendent rescinding the certificate, according to the lawsuit. Guzman's attorneys said 'the straightforward legal issue" in the lawsuit is whether enforcement of the state vaccine mandate violates the 2023 Equal Protection for Religion Act. West Virginia Board of Education spokesperson Christy Day referred to a June 12 statement from the board that its intent is to 'do what is best' for public school students, educators and school service personnel. 'This includes taking the important steps of protecting the school community from the real risk of exposure to litigation that could result from not following vaccination laws,' the earlier statement said. A telephone message left with Raleigh County Schools Superintendent Serena Starcher wasn't immediately returned. West Virginia's school vaccination policy long has been heralded by medical experts as one of the most protective in the country for children. State law requires children to receive vaccines for chickenpox, hepatitis B, measles, meningitis, mumps, diphtheria, polio, rubella, tetanus and whooping cough before starting school. Morrisey, who is not a party to the lawsuit, held a news conference Tuesday in Beckley in support of Guzman. 'This is not about whether or not about parents should vaccinate their children,' Morrisey said. 'This is about standing up for religious liberty.' At least 30 states have religious freedom laws, including one signed by Georgia's governor in April. The laws are modeled after the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act, signed in 1993 by then-President Bill Clinton, which allows federal regulations that interfere with religious beliefs to be challenged.
Winnipeg Free Press
24-06-2025
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
A West Virginia parent sues seeking a religious exemption from required school vaccinations
CHARLESTON, (AP) — A West Virginia woman filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking a religious exemption from required school vaccinations for her young child. Miranda Guzman alleges that the state's vaccine mandate violates a 2023 West Virginia law that stipulates the government would not be able to 'substantially burden' someone's constitutional right to freedom of religion unless doing so 'is essential to further a compelling governmental interest.' Guzman sued the state and local boards of education and the county schools superintendent in Raleigh County Circuit Court. West Virginia was among just a handful of states that granted only medical exemptions from school vaccinations when Republican Gov. Patrick Morrisey issued an executive order in January allowing religious exemptions. However, the state Board of Education voted this month to direct public schools to ignore the executive order and instead follow long-standing school vaccine requirements that are laid out in state law. Also, two groups have sued over the governor's order, saying the Legislature, not the governor, has the authority to make such decisions. Guzman obtained a religious exemption to the vaccine mandate from the state health department and enrolled her child in elementary school for the 2025-26 school year. But on June 17, Guzman received an email from the Raleigh County school superintendent rescinding the certificate, according to the lawsuit. Guzman's attorneys said 'the straightforward legal issue' in the lawsuit is whether enforcement of the state vaccine mandate violates the 2023 Equal Protection for Religion Act. West Virginia Board of Education spokesperson Christy Day referred to a June 12 statement from the board that its intent is to 'do what is best' for public school students, educators and school service personnel. 'This includes taking the important steps of protecting the school community from the real risk of exposure to litigation that could result from not following vaccination laws,' the earlier statement said. Wednesdays Columnist Jen Zoratti looks at what's next in arts, life and pop culture. A telephone message left with Raleigh County Schools Superintendent Serena Starcher wasn't immediately returned. West Virginia's school vaccination policy long has been heralded by medical experts as one of the most protective in the country for children. State law requires children to receive vaccines for chickenpox, hepatitis B, measles, meningitis, mumps, diphtheria, polio, rubella, tetanus and whooping cough before starting school. Morrisey, who is not a party to the lawsuit, held a news conference Tuesday in Beckley in support of Guzman. 'This is not about whether or not about parents should vaccinate their children,' Morrisey said. 'This is about standing up for religious liberty.' At least 30 states have religious freedom laws, including one signed by Georgia's governor in April. The laws are modeled after the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act, signed in 1993 by then-President Bill Clinton, which allows federal regulations that interfere with religious beliefs to be challenged.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Motion for detention officers' pay raise fails
Lee County Commissioner Samantha Martin's attempt to find funding to raise the pay grade of detention officers fell short Monday at a workshop on the proposed 2025-26 budget. The vote came after Sheriff Brian Estes addressed the board on the needs of the Sheriff's Office to help with the county's growing population. A primary area of concern, he said, is the salaries for detention officers. They are paid less than road deputies but face similar, if not more harmful conditions, Estes said. He asked for two more detention officers, but the positions were not funded. Estes also asked commissioners to consider moving detention officer positions two grades up on the county's pay scale. That would put their salaries one step below those of deputies. It would cost $256,535 to make that move, Estes said. 'That's a move that will take the department in the right direction,' he said. 'With two pay grades, it would help to move people to different divisions, putting them one pay grade under deputies.' Martin asked if there was a way to find funds by looking at the budgets for departments. One area she suggested was the money set aside for travel. That pays the expenses for employees and commissioners when they attend educational and certification events. Some are local while others are out of state. 'We might consider tightening up the budget to find the money,' Martin said. She then made a motion to have County Manager Lisa Minter go through the budget again to find available money. Board Chairman Kirk Smith pointed out that the budget is to be adopted at the commissioners' Monday meeting. It must be completed by June 30, the end of the fiscal year. Martin's motion failed by a 5-2 vote. A discussion on increasing compensation pay for the Board of Education members was pulled from the agenda. The commissioners had asked school board member Eric Davidson to bring information regarding compensation pay in the region, but he did not attend Monday's meeting. On June 2, the commissioners voted to approve a 2.8% cost-of-living adjustment for school board members, according to an email from county spokeswoman Hailey Hall. They rejected a motion to raise their salaries to the same as the county commissioners. Minter took time to address a post that appeared on Facebook last week questioning tax revenues for the county. 'It has been brought to my attention that School Board member Alan Rummel has made a statement in a Facebook post that the county has been underestimating tax revenues by $10 million annually,' she said reading from a memo issued the commissioners. Rummel, who was at the meeting, stood up and vehemently denied making the allegation. He did post on Facebook last week, but did not make a statement about the revenues. He cautioned residents about incorrect information that may be spread and encouraged them to call school board members to confirm the data. The confusion, Minter said, resulted from comparing revenue from governmental activities to those for the general funds.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Defying Morrisey executive order, WV board of ed directs schools to follow existing vaccines law
A child under 12 years old receives a dose of Pfizer vaccine as part of the COVID-19 immunization campaign on Jan. 18, 2022 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. (Pedro Vilela | Getty Images) West Virginia school officials will instruct public schools to follow the state's existing vaccine laws, going against an existing executive order from Gov. Patrick Morrisey that students be exempted from the requirements based on their religious beliefs about the shots. At its regular meeting Wednesday, the state Board of Education signed off on directing Superintendent Michele Blatt to issue the vaccine mandate guidance to county school boards. West Virginia state law allows only medical exemptions to school-required vaccines, making the policy one of the strongest in the country. Morrisey issued an executive order earlier this year requiring the state to allow religious exemptions. Speaking at the school board meeting, Sean Whelan, Morrisey's general counsel, told the school board there's been a misunderstanding about the basis of Morrisey's executive order. The governor isn't second guessing science or defying a law passed by the Legislature, he said. 'Instead, he is reading that vaccine law together with another law, the Equal Protection for Religion Act of 2023, which prohibits government action that substantially burdens a person's exercise of religion unless it serves a compelling government interest and is the least restrictive means of achieving that interest,' he said. 'That language mirrors the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which federal courts across the country have described as a super statute, displacing the normal operation of otherwise applicable federal laws.' The executive order applies only to the state health officials under Morrisey's purview, and the governor is not ordering the Board of Education or county school boards to do anything, Whelan said. 'But he is asking for your partnership and support in applying the Equal Protection for Religion. Act that has been on the books since 2023 and until he came into office, wasn't applied,' Whelan said. 'That law should be applied as written, and when it is, it requires the religious exemptions to compulsory vaccination that the health department provides.' State lawmakers this year did not pass Senate Bill 460, which would have made the religious exemptions part of state law. Despite the bill not passing, Morrisey's executive order stands. The state Department of Health had approved approximately 300 religious exemptions as of late last month. The difference between the governor's order and state law has led to a fractured response from schools. Blatt issued a memo May 2 to county superintendents recommending that students not be allowed to attend schools next year without the required vaccinations but rescinded the guidance before the end of the day at the governor's request. Some private and religious schools opted not to follow the governor's order. Last month the American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia and legal advocacy organization Mountain State Justice filed a lawsuit asking the Kanawha County Circuit to compel the state's Department of Health and Bureau for Public Health to stop complying with the executive order. In a statement Wednesday, Morrisey spokesman Alex Lanfranconi said the school board is 'trampling on the religious liberties of children, ignoring the state's religious freedom law, and trying to make the state an extreme outlier on vaccine policy when there isn't a valid public policy reason to do so. This decision isn't about public health — it's about making West Virginia more like liberal states such as California and New York,' he said. The Department of Health will continue to grant religious exemptions, he said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
