US EditionEducators demand closer look at real cost of cyber schools
- On April 30, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case in Washington, D.C., challenging the constitutionality of taxpayer-funded religious charter schools, specifically involving a dispute over a Catholic virtual charter school's inclusion in Oklahoma's public charter school system.
- The case originated when the board overseeing virtual charter schools in Oklahoma permitted St. Isidore to become part of the state's public charter school network in 2023, prompting the state’s attorney general to file a lawsuit claiming this action violated the constitutional separation of church and state by effectively endorsing religion.
- St. Isidore contends that providing public education as a private religious entity does not make its religious activities state actions and exclusion violates the First Amendment, supported by legal advocates emphasizing equal access to public funds.
- Legal experts note the key question is whether charter schools are like public schools or private schools eligible for funding, and warn that excluding religious groups from generally available programs contradicts constitutional protections.
- A ruling for Drummond could jeopardize existing state funding for religious students and schools, potentially reshaping public education funding and expanding religious charter schools nationwide with significant financial and policy effects.
29 Articles
29 Articles
Educators demand closer look at real cost of cyber schools
(WTAJ) — Each year, millions of tax dollars are shelled out to cover the cost of cyber charter schools for students who choose to learn online but concerns are being raised about how to balance the budget as costs climb. School administrators say it costs a lot more to operate a traditional school. Things like free breakfast and lunch programs, transportation, textbooks, activities, athletics and the utility and repair costs of running the build…
Schools: When religious parents object
Attention "left-wing culture warriors," said Ed Whelan in National Review: Religious families will not accept indoctrination. At the Supreme Court last week, a group of Christian and Muslim parents in a Maryland school district asserted the right to opt their elementary-school-age children out of lessons that use books celebrating same-sex relationships and a transgender child. The lessons, they argued, contradicted the religious teachings they …
Religious charter schools threaten to shift more money away from traditional public schools – and the Supreme Court is considering this idea
The Supreme Court is considering whether to allow churches to operate charter schools that teach religious topics like the Bible. Jonathan Kirn/The Image Bank via Getty ImagesThe U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments on April 30, 2025, in what could be the most consequential case for public education since the court started requiring schools to desegregate in the years following Brown v. Board of Education. St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virt…
Don’t use tax dollars for religion — Supreme Court should reject funding for sectarian charter school - Hawaii Tribune-Herald
Should a blatantly sectarian educational institution qualify for public funding as a charter school? The Supreme Court wrestled with the question Wednesday. The answer must be no.
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