c. 2006 Religion News Service
Catholics, Orthodox Jews Push for `School Choice’
WASHINGTON (RNS) Orthodox Jews and Catholics have issued a joint call for government funds and policies that would allow parents to send their children to private schools with the help of public money.
In a Nov. 1 statement, the Rabbinical Council of America, the Orthodox Union and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said parents struggle to meet the high expenses of religious schools.
“It’s very costly and very difficult to put our children in these schools,” said Nathan Diamant, director of public affairs for the Orthodox Union, a national network of Jewish Orthodox congregations. “It’s a matter of equity.”
Orthodox Jews and Catholics have long worked together on education issues, but the new statement was their first joint call for school choice, Diamant said.
About 95 percent of Orthodox Jewish children attend Jewish day schools, which number about 500 to 600 in the U.S., according to Diamant. Jewish school tuition generally ranges from $10,000 to $20,000 for a school year, according to a 2004 study by the American Jewish Committee.
There are about 8,000 U.S. Catholic schools with an average tuition cost of $8,000, according to the National Catholic Educational Association.
School choice, or the idea that parents should have the option of sending children to private or parochial schools regardless of cost, has been championed by religious communities. Advocates argue that it is a socially just option for all parents, especially those with low income, Diamant said.
Critics say school choice _ or vouchers _ takes desperately needed money away from public schools and funnels it to private religious schools. A 2002 Supreme Court decision upheld the constitutionality of a voucher program in Cleveland.
“Some people are trapped in the inner cities,” Diamant said. “It’s been the government’s job to help people in the country who are less well-off.”
_ Rebecca U. Cho
ACP Names Joe Thoma Executive Director
(RNS) The Associated Church Press has appointed Joe Thoma, a 26-year communications veteran and the principal of the organization’s management firm, to be its new executive director.
The ACP, based in Oviedo, Fla., is a national association of religious publications.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity and I’m looking forward to continuing the tradition of serving the religious press,” said Thoma, a former Florida newspaper reporter. “We’ve got a good program of work coming up for the year.”
Thoma served as the site host of the ACP’s 2006 conference in Orlando and was a member of the ACP Professional Development Committee.
Jerry Van Marter, the ACP president and director of Presbyterian News Service, said Thoma’s past involvement with the association uniquely qualifies him for the post. Thoma is principal of the ACP’s management firm, Awareness Campaign Inc. _ a marketing, event-management and publication company based in Winter Park, Fla.
“Joe knows our members and thoroughly understands their needs. We are confident that his firm will allow us to offer more member services and expanded support for our activities,” Van Marter said.
The Associated Church Press, founded in 1916, is an organization of more than 130 religious publications with an audience of more than 20 million, according to the group’s estimates.
_ Jason Kane
Quote of the Day: Southern Baptist Seminary President Albert Mohler Jr.
(RNS) “I think one of the biggest dangers here is solitude. Someone has to be there to interrogate and investigate every aspect of our lives.”
_ R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, speaking on the radio program hosted by Focus on the Family founder James Dobson, about the scandal involving the Rev. Ted Haggard, the former president of the National Association of Evangelicals who was fired for his relationship and alleged drug use with a male escort.
KRE/PH END RNS