Catholic school lobby demands computer aid in New York district

Church & State, Jan 2001

Frustrated by their inability to get taxpayer-funded computers for parochial schools, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo and a group of Catholic school parents decided to hit the local public schools where it hurts the most - in the pocketbook.

Catholic school parents in Kenmore and Tonawanda demanded publicly funded computers last November but were rebuffed by Superintendent David A. Paciencia. Paciencia said the financially strapped district is in no position to help private schools and added that the move might violate the separation of church and state.

In retaliation, Catholic school activists said they would lobby voters to reject a $66 million bond issue that appeared on the ballot Dec. 5. The money was to be used to renovate crumbling buildings in the district, including fixing leaky roofs and faulty heating systems. Voters rejected the bond by a vote of 60 percent against to 40 percent for.

"We'd like to support [the district], but they have to support us, too," Gary Annis, a Catholic school activist, told The Buffalo News. "We pay taxes, too, and we're a pretty large bloc."

The local chamber of commerce supported the bond measure, as did local public school parents groups. It was estimated that the bond would have raised taxes for the average property owner about $24 per year.

Now that they've defeated the bond, Catholic school forces are exploring the possibility of filing a lawsuit to get the computer aid. They cite a U.S. Supreme Court decision from last summer that permitted the state of Louisiana to give certain types of computer and other technology aid to private religious schools. Public school officials counter that while the decision in Mitchell v. Helms permits such aid if states choose to extend it, no government body is required to do so.

In other news about government aid to parochial schools:

Two Arkansas lawmakers have filed legislation that would set up a voucher program in the state aimed at students in public schools deemed "failing."

The bill, introduced by Reps. Jeremy Hutchinson and Dean Elliott, both Republicans, does not refer directly to vouchers, instead using yet another euphemism - "learning endowments." Under the plan, students in public school districts deemed to be in "distress" would get "learning endowments" to subsidize private school tuition or costs at other public schools. Hutchinson said the bill does not currently include vouchers for home schooling but that he plans to change it to allow that as well.