The battle over school-choice programs and state aid for religious schools returns to the U.S. Supreme Court this week as three mothers from Montana ask the justices to uphold a scholarship program that would help fund Christian education for their children. The case is a major test for the balance between dueling constitutional principles: protection for religious freedom and a prohibition against government support of religion. Union officials say the case could be hugely consequential for public schools. “If the decision goes in a certain way, it will be a virtual earthquake,” said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, who fears a blow to state funding of public education. In 2015, the Montana legislature approved dollar-for-dollar state tax credits of up to $150 per year meant to encourage donations to a scholarship fund that supports low-income children seeking to attend private schools of their choice. Mothers Kendra Espinoza, Jeri Anderson and Jamie Schaefer, all plaintiffs in the case, say they could not afford tuition payments to send their kids to Stillwater Christian School in Kalispell without the financial aid. But the Montana Department of Revenue imposed an administrative rule prohibiting use of the tax-credit supported scholarships […]
