Taxpayers support Portland schools
• Voters in Multnomah County, Ore., approved an income tax hike to support the financially troubled Portland school system -- thereby averting district plans to lay off 650 teachers, eliminate sports, and increase class sizes by more than 25 percent.
The measure, which passed by 57 percent May 20, provides funding for seven other school districts in the county, as well as public safety and social services. Oregon schools depend on the state government for 70 percent of their funding.
"This is just the first step," says board Chair Karla Wenzel. "The next step is to get the school funding issue solved at the statewide level."
Supreme Court will hear religion case
• The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case that could have implications for future decisions expanding public support for religious instruction.
The case, Davey v. Locke, involves the state of Washington's refusal to provide scholarship funds to otherwise qualified college students because they were majoring in theology taught from a religious viewpoint.
Joshua Davey received a scholarship through the state's Promise Scholarship program for low and middle-income students who have achieved academic excellence in high school. The scholarships can be used for any public, sectarian, or other private colleges or universities in the state. Davey enrolled in Northwest College, which is affiliated with the Assembly of God.
The Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board, which administers the program, refused to give Davey a scholarship because Davey was seeking a degree in pastoral ministries. The state constitution prohibits the use of public money for religious instruction.
Davey sued the state arguing that his First Amendment right to free exercise of religion was violated. The state countered that it was not infringing on Davey's right to practice his religion; it was merely refusing to subsidize his religious study.
A federal district court ruled in favor of the state. A panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that decision on a 2-1 vote, using the same argument the U.S. Supreme Court used when it upheld Cleveland voucher program in Zelman v. Simmons-Harris. The Supreme Court said the state voucher money goes to individuals, not directly to sectarian schools.
Davey is represented by the American Center for Law and Justice, a pro-voucher advocacy group that seeks to expand the use of public money for religious activities in both public and private schools.
Suit filed to block Colorado vouchers
• A coalition of organizations filed a lawsuit to block Colorado's new voucher program.
The law creates a pilot program in 11 school districts that have at least eight poorly performing schools. Eligible parents would receive vouchers worth $5,000 to help pay the tuition at religious or other private schools.
The suit, filed May 20 in the U.S. District Court in Denver, contends the voucher program is unconstitutional because it supports religious schools and allows those schools to use the funds for sectarian purposes. It notes that all but one of the private schools participating in the voucher program are religious.
It also says the program would cost the participating districts more than $90 million a year.
Colorado's voucher program is the first to be enacted since the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the voucher program in Cleveland last year. Anti-voucher activists contend the Colorado Constitution's language on the separation of church and state is stronger than that of Ohio.
Among the groups and individuals filing the suit are People for the American Way, the American Civil Liberties Union, Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, the teacher unions, the American Jewish Committee, Colorado PTA, League of United Latin American Citizens, Interfaith Alliance, and Colorado NAACP.
Students in hazing incident expelled
• The board of education of Glenbrook High School District 225 in suburban Chicago voted May 25 to expel 31 high school seniors who had been implicated in a highly publicized hazing incident.
The Associated Press reports that a videotape of the May 4 incident at a flag football game shows the students throwing mud, paint, feces, and garbage on juniors.
Superintendent Dave Hales says the 31 students will receive diplomas but will not be allowed to return to school or attend any activities on school grounds through June 2004, including graduation.
The students will have to serve varying hours of community service. They also will have the opportunity to complete their credits and will be allowed to participate in educational and individual counseling, with the costs borne by their parents.
In return, the students must sign waivers promising not to exploit their experience for personal gain, which means no book, movie, or television deals. Twenty-eight of the students agreed to the expulsion deal.
One of the expelled students had filed a lawsuit, charging that the district exceeded its authority.
Fifteen students were charged with misdemeanor battery. Two students and two adults were charged with alcohol-related misdemeanors for allegedly providing beer to underage drinkers.