Currently the Iowa legislature is considering a bill spearheaded by Gov. Reynolds that would allow for a voucher-style program that sets aside public tax dollars to be used to pay tuition and fees at private educational institutions. The republican majority has taken to calling this policy “school choice” and “providing more options for parents”, but this choice of education does not seem to reflect the situation in the state. Rather than provide more choice for parents this bill aims to take funds from public schools and funnel them to private schools and, in particular, religious schools. The wall separating church and state has been under assault in the past years by Christian Nationalists and this is simply the latest iteration of their theocratic ideology. Make no mistake, the goal of this bill is to funnel as many public dollars into unaccountable and sectarian institutions as possible in order to prop up and legitimize religious teaching of young people in the state of Iowa. This means that Iowa tax dollars will go directly into the coffers of religious institutions, institutions that are exempt from human and civil rights laws, disability access, equitable admissions processes, and even can be used to fund political activity.
The choice that is touted by the bills supporters is a false one since the only real options given are specifically Christian schools in the state of Iowa. Less than half a dozen schools that are registered as private institutions in the state of Iowa are secular, less than 6 out of 183 private institutions. That is less than 4% of schools in only two areas of the state, Central and Eastern-Central Iowa, being secular and with mission statements that are inclusive to all students. Religious schools and institutions, whose very foundation was and is based on the right to exclude non-religious, or in many cases, non-white, children from gaining access to education remain the bulk of “options” for students.
This is a complete violation of the foundational ideas that are laid out in the constitution, both nationally and in the state of Iowa. Section 3 of the Iowa Constitution: “…nor shall any person be compelled to attend any place of worship, pay tithes, taxes, or other rates for building or repairing places of worship, or the maintenance of any minister, or ministry.” Pushing public dollars into the upkeep and maintenance of these sectarian schools is a direct violation of that separation of church and state and should be seen as such. This is much less a side effect of these voucher programs but actual point as evidenced by testimony from the bills supporters as well as political contributions and public statements of religious institutions.
The voucher scheme being considered is nothing less than Christian Nationalism come to Iowa in the false language of choice and freedom, the effects of which will be an explicit state endorsement of religious indoctrination.
Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers reject the idea of a voucher system that funnels money to unaccountable religious institutions and stands for the separation of church and state.
By Jason Bennell
Press Secretary
Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers