Dear Editor: Say No to Publicly Funded Private Schools

Dear Editor,

Republican legislators just passed the biggest tax cut for the wealthy in Montana’s history, a whopping One Billion Dollars. That’s a billion, not a million. Meanwhile, the needs of regular Montanans, like affordable housing, care for the elderly, and child care for workers, are pushed aside under the pretense of “we just can’t afford it.”

At the same time, this Republican legislature wants to create a new system of private schools for their kids that you would have to pay for. These private schools would not require certified teachers. They would not be under the control of local taxpayers. They would not have to serve special needs children.

Montana has a system of public schools that is constitutionally charged with providing the opportunity of free quality education for all our children. Why won’t legislators work to improve our underfunded public schools instead of allocating state dollars to unaccountable, untried, unlicensed private schools? Will these new private schools siphon off funding for schooling the children of the rich and famous, leaving the rest of us with substandard schools for our kids? When I look at other states, I know the answer is, sadly, yes.

Let your legislators know you like your local public schools. Tell them to support public schools. Tell legislators to just say no to publicly funded private schools.

Terry Minow

Chair, Big Sky 55+

Boulder, Montana