It’s Time to Stand Up for Alaska’s Children
On February 25 beginning at 9:30 a.m., the Alaska House Education Committee will hear testimony on HJR 1, an act to amend the Alaska Constitution to allow public funds to flow to parents so they can choose the best educational fit for their children. It is important to note that this resolution only amends the Constitution, it does not provide for “vouchers” as stated by the opposition.
The Alaska Constitution has Blaine Amendment language in it which prohibits any state funds from directly supporting religious or other private educational institutions. This wording was required by the Federal government if a territory wanted to join the Union-kind of an overreach by the Federal government. That is why, most Western states have this prohibitive language in their constitutions.
The history of the Blaine Amendment, however, is somewhat sordid and ugly. Congressman Blaine gathered support from the anti-immigrant, anti-Catholic and anti-Irish segments of society. Later on, even the KKK supported the Blaine Amendment in many states. This wording should be removed because it is a very bad reflection on Alaskans.
The Alaska Supreme Court has ruled that even indirect support of private or religious educational institutions is prohibited (Sheldon Jackson College v. State of Alaska, 1979). This would seem to prohibit local school districts from transporting students to/from non-public schools, even if by coincidence.
You have your chance to voice your opinion on February 25. You need to go to the Legislative Information Office (LIO) or call in for testimony. You can google “state of alaska lio” to find where the nearest LIO is located. If inconvenient, just email your legislator with your beliefs. If you have any questions, go to www.akchoice.org for more information or email Tom Fink at [email protected]. Testimony will also be taken on March 1 at 9:30.
It’s time to take a stand for our kids – your voice needs to be heard. The Alaska State Legislature must allow us to vote on whether or not, we the people want to amend OUR Constitution. Allow us to vote-it is our right as stated in OUR Constitution.
