In 2021, a court ruling gradually opens up the possibility for religious schools to receive funding through Vermont's school tuition program, allowing students in school districts without a designated public option to attend the school of their choice. It became.
Then, a landmark Supreme Court ruling in June 2022 significantly expanded the issue.
Since the 2020-2021 school year, public funding going to blatantly religious schools has increased more than sixfold and will increase in 2022-2023, according to a VTDigger analysis of data provided by the Vermont Department of Education. It is said to have reached more than $1 million. And during this period he more than doubled the number of schools he received funding from six to 13, all of which identify themselves as Christian educational institutions.
Because the agency does not classify certain schools as “religious,” VTDigger used schools' self-identification on their websites and other promotional materials to identify which private schools were religiously affiliated.
2022 Supreme Court Decision Carson vs Makin Similar to Vermont, the system in Maine provides families with public funds to send their children to other schools, public or private, if there is no public school in their area. The focus is on public tuition programs.
The high court has ruled that Maine cannot award “public benefits,” or tuition, to some parents, while other cases have ruled that “Maine cannot award benefits based on the recipient's religious practices.” ” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in a 6-3 decision.
Previously, Vermont towns that sent students elsewhere for education (often known as “sending towns”) operated in a gray area when it came to paying religious school tuition.
Now, public funds are more fully available to these schools, and they now receive a small portion of Vermont's education funding.
In 2020-2021, religious schools received approximately $172,000. He received $594,000 in 2021-22. And in 2022-2023 they received $1.05 million. During his three years, the total number of religious schools receiving public funds increased from six to ten to thirteen.
Public money paid to religious schools remains a small proportion of the total paid to private schools. Total education funding paid to private schools (also known as independent schools) totaled just under $52,785,000 in 2022-2023, with religious schools accounting for less than 2%. (This dwarfs the total education spending of $1.58 billion for the 2022-23 school year.)
In Vermont, critics of religious schools that receive public funds point to a state law they say directly contradicts their practices. The state's constitution includes a “compulsory support clause,” which protects Vermonters from being forced to support a religion “against the dictates of conscience.”
Opponents also point to some religious schools that have tried to circumvent Vermont's anti-discrimination provisions. Last year, principals at two Vermont Christian schools filed applications with the State Board of Education asking for tuition approval, but hinted that they might not comply with all of Vermont's anti-discrimination laws. Ta.
Now, some public school advocates and leaders are taking issue with another element of the funding situation. It appears that religious schools are “inflating” public school tuition fees, and that there is a huge difference between the amount some schools charge public education funds and the advertised tuition fees. That's what I'm pointing out. Fee.
“It's a great discount.”
Public school districts are required to pay tuition to independent schools up to an average tuition rate published throughout Vermont, which is $18,266 for students in grades 7 through 12 this school year. It is set in dollars.
Mid-Vermont Christian School in Quechee advertises that high school tuition costs $6,325 for families to pay their own tuition. Mid-Vermont charged public school districts $14,000 per student, according to data from the Vermont Department of Education.
The school sued state education leaders last year after it controversially canceled a basketball game for refusing to play against a transgender student and was subsequently banned from sports competitions. .
An email asking Mid-Vermont about tuition was answered by Alliance Defending Freedom, the law firm representing the school and one of the nation's prominent conservative Christian law groups. .
“For the 2023-2024 school year, all MVCS high school students started with a tuition bill of $14,000. Some ended up paying the full amount, and some did not,” the administrator said. In an emailed statement, attorney Ryan Tucker praised the “tremendous support of donors, foundations, MVCS gifts and fundraising efforts” in providing the scholarships.
MVCS is actually “offered at a deep discount,” Tucker wrote, noting that other school districts charge public school districts more than $20,000 in fees. While some public schools charged more than $20,000 in public tuition per student last school year, private schools are typically capped at the statewide average cost ($17,278 for grades 7-12). has been done.
In another case, St. Francis de Sales School of the Sacred Heart, a religious school in Bennington, advertises tuition at $5,430. Last year, public school districts paid up to $16,000 to send students to the school. School representatives did not respond to multiple emails seeking comment.
Michael Clark is the superintendent of the Grand Isle Superintendents Union, which does not have a high school. Some students in the district attend Rice Memorial High School, a Catholic private school in South Burlington, and Clark said she didn't know how much the school would charge until she received the bill.
Clark said Rice University charges $18,150, which is more than the $13,500 tuition listed on the school's website for the 2024-25 academic year, including other fees. It is said to be better than that. Rice University has received the most public tuition money among religious schools over the past two years, according to Education Department data, and the school collected an average of $16,500 in tuition from public districts last year. was.
Megan Shrestha, Rice University's head of marketing and communications, said in an email that the “cost of a student's education” is $19,150, with “the remainder of the tuition coming from the Rice community and the Rice Cathedral Fund (donations). It is funded by donations.” It exists to fill the tuition gap. ”
Shrestha said the endowment and the Cathedral Fund are “for families who don't have access to public tuition.”
“It comes down to fairness.”
Clark identified the problem as a lack of transparency regarding tuition fees on the part of some private schools. Public schools are required to publish their tuition fees, but many private schools, including religious schools, do not follow the same practice, school leaders say.
“I think our independent schools need to play by the same rules as our public schools,” Clark said. “All our independent schools must publish the tuition fees they charge everyone.”
Tim Newbold is principal of Village School in North Bennington and president of the Vermont Association of Independent Schools. He said the association does not include religious schools, but encourages them to publish their tuition fees.
“Most of our members publish their tuition rates, and we believe that is best practice,” Newbold said. “VISA's position is that schools should not charge districts more than their announced tuition fees.”
He also pointed out that public schools that accept tuition-paying students can claim backing for additional costs, while private schools cannot.
The Vermont National Education Association, the union representing public school educators, has spoken out in favor of private schools listing their tuition rates for school districts.
“Sending districts subsidize tuition for other students,” Vermont NEA President Don Tinney said in an interview.
Mr. Tinney discusses the practices of private schools that do not publish public tuition fees, and the “four historic academies” in Vermont that do publish tuition fees: Thetford Academy, Lyndon Institute, and St. Johnsbury.・Academy, Burr & Burton) practices were compared.
Sharon Academy in Sharon, Village School in North Bennington, Mountain School in Winhall, and Long Trail School in Dorset are among the private schools that receive the most public funding. All four companies advertise tuition rates to families that are equal to or higher than those charged by sending districts.
Pointing to the rising cost of education in Vermont, Tinney said, “There are many questions, especially at a time when public schools are struggling to pass budgets and are struggling to meet the needs of all students. It's happening,” he said.
Tinney and others argued that private schools could be required to follow the same tuition rules as public schools, which could increase accountability.
“At the end of the day, it comes down to fairness in many ways,” he says.
