Letters to the Editor | April 10, 2024

The statements made by Donald Trump during Holy Week comparing himself to Jesus Christ are deeply offensive to us as members of a faith community. We expect that they are no less offensive to all people of faith, Christian or otherwise. All those who respect the Passion story at the heart of the Christian tradition must be distressed when a political candidate tries to apply that story to himself and use it for political ends. At the very least, Trump should apologize for such offensive and even blasphemous statements.

Faith Paulsen and Deb Hejl, Gwynedd Friends Meeting Peace and Social Action Committee, Gwynedd

The fight over educational choice is frustratingly politicized. Both sides duke it out in the public square, while students remain trapped in crumbling public schools. This issue is bigger than me, the pundits, the lobbyists, and the self-proclaimed “voucher experts” inserting themselves into this debate. If lawmakers ignore the loudest voices in the room for a moment and listen closely, they can hear the pitter-patter of students and families voting with their feet.

Kids have been leaving public schools and searching for better opportunities outside the system for a while now. It accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic when public schools nationwide lost more than one million students. They are choosing charter schools, private schools, micro-schools, and homeschooling — all of which have experienced a spike in interest recently. Many disaffected parents turned to private schools that reopened faster and offered in-person instruction. Moreover, private school students fared much better academically during this time.

Unfortunately, not all students can afford private education. Without financial assistance, school choice evades lower-income communities. Maintaining the status quo — which favors wealthy school districts while ignoring the poorer ones — is inherently elitist. We must empower students and families to find the best educational fit for their needs. We can do so by expanding our current system of charter schools or developing new funding mechanisms, such as Educational Opportunity Accounts, which allow funding to follow students to the school of their choice.

Pennsylvania students and families feel trapped in academically abysmal public schools — and they want out. While some can afford to move freely to another school, many can’t, and we must do everything in our power to help those left behind. It doesn’t take an expert to figure that out — especially those who have neither attended nor enrolled their children in the schools they claim to champion.

David Hardy, president, Girard College, distinguished fellow, The Commonwealth Foundation

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