Texas Pastors’ Declaration for Empowering Parents in Education

WHEREAS, education of children is “bringing up, rearing”[i] to “enlighten the understanding, correct the temper, and form the manners and habits of youth”[ii] according to historic principles agreed upon through the development of our civilization and this country and,

WHEREAS, it is a biblical mandate to “train up your child in the way he should go”[iii] that dovetails with the warning by Jesus against causing a child to stumble in their faith[iv] as central to our children’s education.  Education begins in the home yet any additional received outside the home should not be hostile to its faith foundations and,

WHEREAS, biblically and historically, education of children was conducted in the home, church and community, not under the control of a state mandate funded by forced taxation until the late 19th century and,

WHEREAS, the transition of placing primary and secondary education under government, taxing all citizens to fund that system, failing to economically empower parents who wish to use alternative education resources has created an effective government monopoly that violates essential individual freedoms guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and,

WHEREAS, the government education system through myriad and designed secular humanist, socialist, even Marxist agendas other hostile to historic “liberal arts” education to “mold the intellect and shape the soul”, has catastrophically failed to respect these inviolable precepts of the Christian faith, our Judeo-Christian traditions and become hostile to the same and,

WHEREAS, government schools have effectively become a tragic laboratory of decades of social engineering, experimentation, out-of-control costs, demoralization and such chaos that even physical safety of students and staff is increasingly insecure,

WHEREAS, a 2021 Texas poll found that 72% of registered voters support “the concept of school choice if it gives parents the right to use the tax dollars designated for their child’s education to send their child to the public school or private school which best serves their needs.” Only 20% opposed the idea.

WE THEREFORE DECLARE THAT:

…our tax dollars dedicated to education should be applied to all school age children equally and are held in trust for the benefit of those children;

…Every parent should have the right to decide what is best for their children, whether that be a public or private educational setting;

…Universal choice by which some of the state funding allocated per student would follow the student if parents selected a private school would provide for the ultimate equality of educational opportunity for all students.

…Empowering parents to decide what is best for their child would provide better results for students and would be totally consistent with the system put into place following the adoption of the 1876 Texas Constitution;

We enthusiastically express our active support in requesting the 2023 Texas Legislature adopt such Parental Empowerment/School Choice legislation to be sent to Governor Greg Abbott for his signature.

[i] https://www.latin-is-simple.com/en/vocabulary/noun/8866/ ; [ii] https://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/education ; [iii] Proverbs 6:22 NASB ; [iv] Matthew 18:6

The Undersigned Pastors of churches in the State of Texas: