STEVE SMITH -- What’s Up?

Today’s question: Can one be a supporter of the public school system and

still favor a statewide voucher program? The answer, for many locals, is

“yes.”

The subject came up again when a local controversy developed at the same

time the U.S. Supreme Court was ordering God out of public schools across

the land. School board member Wendy Leece was fighting for the inclusion

of something called “intelligent design” in the mix of origin-of-life

theories taught to our kids when the court ruling broke. For those of you

old enough to remember having to run to the drugstore to test a TV tube,

“intelligent design” is the new name for “creationism.” Oh, there’s

little bit of a clever twist, but it still involves God’s hand in making

us.

God seems to scare the heck out of many people in public education and

government. In announcing its decision, the Supreme Court affirmed the

principle of separation of church and state, which, if carried to its

logical conclusion, would force the complete redesign and reminting of

all U.S. currency to remove the slogan, “In God We Trust,” and it would

end the daily invocation at the start of each day of business in the U.S.

Congress.

God scares many people in power, even more than teen sex, teen pregnancy,

teen abortion or any of a number of modern sadness. For it stands to

reason that if we were truly concerned about these other problems we’d be

doing a lot more to correct them, but we are not. The numbers, while

having declined slightly in the last few years, are still a tragedy. Yet

we bury our heads in the sand or even support this improper behavior

while we repel at even the slightest mention of God in school. Posting

the Ten Commandments in the classroom is not allowed in most public

schools but many of those same schools offer counseling for birth control

and pregnancy.

Part of what repels those in power against God in the classroom is the

perception that all those of faith have big hair and an 800 number.

Unfortunately, the Jim Bakkers and Jimmy Swaggarts still lurk among us,

but the truth is that those behind religion in this country are

invisible, anonymous. They are the people who cut your hair, repair your

car and sweep your streets. They observe the Sabbath on Saturday or

Sunday, obey God’s laws and keep to themselves. They have no more desire

to force their beliefs on others than they would want to have others

force their beliefs on them.

Which brings us to the public school and voucher conundrum. For many

locals, the public school system has not been the answer to their

prayers. It’s not just the exclusion of God, it is the failure of another

public system to effectively administrate that with which they’re

charged. In the case of Costa Mesa’s West Side schools, for example,

there are dismal test scores which have not been properly addressed.

But more than the exclusion of God, more than the low West Side test

scores, there is a belief that things aren’t going to get any better and

that having a hand in where we send our children to school is one way to

take back control over some portion of our lives. And it does not help

the public school system that vague feelings of discontent with much of

an unresponsive government--not only with the public school system--will

drive some voters to support a voucher initiative.

I will vote in favor of vouchers in November but Cay and I have no plans

to remove our kids from the public school they attend. They are getting a

good education there and we like the idea of having them attend a school

to which they can ride their bikes, if they ever get up early enough.

My own vote is not meant to send a message anywhere, nor is the passage

of a voucher program likely to bring a halt to the public school system,

as many believe. My support for a voucher program comes not for deep

religious reasons, nor is it a poke in the eye at our public schools.

It’s merely another way to exercise greater control over our own lives,

if we so choose.

So, yes, one can support both vouchers and the public school system. I

do. But look for millions of dollars to be spent convincing voters that

the public school system is their best choice for the education of all

children. That system, which thanks to the Supreme Court ruling is more

than ever a “one-size-fits-all” program, is simply not for everyone. I

support the ability of parents to use their tax money to make this

education decision on behalf of their kids.

* STEVE SMITH is a Costa Mesa resident and freelance writer. He can be

reached via e-mail at [email protected], or call our Readers Hotline

at (949) 642-6086.