Letters to the editor

Don’t Be Fooled, indeed

Editor: We have recently been bombarded by slick fliers from a group opposing the Arkansas Educational Rights Amendment. The headline is “Don’t Be Fooled!”

“Don’t Be Fooled!” VERY good advice to keep in mind when reading these fliers.

The Facts: “The Arkansas Educational Rights Amendment of 2024 aims to hold private schools that receive state funding to the same standards as public schools.” (Arkansas Advocate, 4/2024) There are three big lies in the latest flier.

“Lie #1: “Faith-based schools not being allowed to teach faith-based curriculum.” Nothing in the Amendment prohibits teaching a faithbased curriculum. It does say that if the student or school gets STATE money for education, they must meet the same standards as publicly educated students. (And many faith-based schools are quite academically rigorous and routinely place very highly on standardized testing.)

Lie # 2: “CRT being taught in our schools.” The amendment never mentions Critical Race Theory (a complicated theory usually taught in graduate schools — not high schools.)

Lie # 3: “The End of Education Freedom.” The Amendment doesn’t restrict your education freedom. But ... the State won’t PAY for education that doesn’t meet standards. This is nothing but good stewardship of State resources. If the State spends money for road paving they require the contractor to meet State standards. We should demand the same for any education dollars we spend.

The cost analysis on one of the fliers is from a supposedly “non-partisan” group — with recent reports titled “The Left’s Sneak Attack to Destroy Education” and “The Left’s New School Choice Handbook.” Hardly non-partisan.

And ... there is no cost comparison between the Amendment and the current LEARNS Act projected costs ... because Gov. Sanders has REFUSED to release the LEARNS Act cost numbers — apparently because they astronomically exceed original estimates.

“Don’t be Fooled” by these slick fliers.

— Tom Gorsuch Eureka Springs