EDUCATIONAL LIBERTY

Washington's education system has long been a mosaic of state, religious, independent, home and other privately-funded schools, all working simultaneously to provide the best possible education for our child citizens.

In 1925, the United States Supreme Court, in Pierce v. Society of Sisters, established as a fundamental principle of liberty that the child is not the “mere creature of the state.” This landmark decision excluded any general power of the state to force children to attend only public institutions, consequently upholding the right of parents to choose the means of educating their children. In doing so, the Court soundly rejected the nativistic and anti-sectarian bias of the times and heralded that independent schools served the common good. Seventy-five years later, these institutions continue to do so in a manner that recognizes that all children have an inalienable right to a quality education that is responsive to the prerogative of parents as the primary educators of their children.

Today, one in five of the state’s elementary and secondary schools is privately funded; nearly nine percent of all K-12 students attend them. These “private” schools are defined by strong statements of mission and purpose. Each flourishes by encompassing the values and needs of the families it serves. Each is accountable directly to its families and sponsoring community. They are religious and secular, large and small, urban and rural. They serve diverse economic populations and are multi-ethnic and multi-cultural.

Most parents who currently choose independent schools for their children exercise their constitutional right at significant cost and personal sacrifice; they bear a dual burden of paying school tuition while also contributing their share of taxes to rightly support a quality common school system. The education of children in Washington’s private schools results in an annual benefit of nearly $500,000,000 to the general fund of this state.

WFIS members support the liberty of parents to choose schools for their children. Unfortunately for many, this freedom depends on the family’s ability to pay tuition to a private school or to live in a neighborhood where the local school option meets the needs of their children. Our state’s educational commitment, which relies on the richness of pluralism and diversity is enhanced when every family has access to the best resources.

The WFIS Board of Directors affirms the right of educational liberty for all Washington families. We declare the attainment of this freedom - as well as the protection of each member school’s independent mission - as our primary public policy objectives. We advocate for the enactment of legislation and policies that will maximize the quality of educational opportunities for all of Washington's children – whether through religious, private or public sponsorship.

• The best campaign to improve Washington's schools would include a commitment to provide all parents a diversity of educational choices;
• These choices exist when parents have strong, quality options. A rich plurality is best achieved when each system is valued for its strengths and supported in its contribution to the whole. Assuring parental choice must not cripple one system to build up another.
• Independent institutions choosing to enter into any partnership funded wholly or in part by government-directed resources (while subject to prudent accountability of stewardship) should be free to do so at no sacrifice to their independence, educational mission, philosophy, creed or governance.
• The religious affiliation of a school should not be a factor in determining whether or not the students attending that program are eligible to access educational opportunities or services provided at public expense.

The WFIS membership, and the thousands of families we serve, is deeply concerned about the education of Washington's children and are looking for political leadership that will give families the opportunity to secure the best possible education for their children. It is important to us to know that our elected leaders enthusiastically support efforts to empower all parents to choose the education they believe best meets the needs of their children -- whether that be in public, private or religiously-affiliated institutions or other approved means.

WFIS stands committed to the goal of improving the quality of education for all of Washington’s children, particularly those 83,000 enrolled in the 500 privately funded elementary and secondary schools that serve this state. If children are not the “mere creatures of the state,” they should be supported in attending schools that will help them develop their full potential -- regardless of race, creed, neighborhood or the ability to pay.