Manzoor Cheema: Against vouchers

Regarding the Aug. 5 Point of View “No ‘public purpose’ in school vouchers”: I agree with Elizabeth Haddix and Mark Dorosin that the voucher program will undermine public education. Private and religious organizations have a right to establish private schools. However, tax money should be provided only to public schools that are accountable to and serve the broader public. Diverting funds from public to pricate schools has been proposed to increase educational choices. In reality, this program undermines the basic choice of well-funded and equitable public education. As Muslims for Social Justice, we believe that all children are our children. We should strive for well-funded public schools that serve all students irrespective of the color of their skin, religious background (or lack thereof), socioeconomic status or any other background.

This story was originally published August 6, 2015 at 5:09 PM with the headline "Manzoor Cheema: Against vouchers."