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Saturday, July 06, 2002

By Jane Elizabeth, Post-Gazette Education Writer

Wording in Pennsylvania's Constitution that prohibits the mingling of church and state will make it difficult -- but not impossible -- for any school voucher proposal to gain ground in the state Legislature.

That's the view of the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh and other voucher supporters, said Ronald T. Bowes, assistant supervisor for public policy and development for diocesan schools, at a taping for the "KD/PG Sunday Edition" which will air at 11 a.m. tomorrow.

Bowes joined Ron Cowell, a former state representative and current president of the Harrisburg-based Education Policy and Leadership Center, for the "Sunday Edition" taping.

Bowes said about 40 states have similar constitutional impediments, but still, some have made progress in getting legislative support for voucher programs.

Vouchers use tax dollars to help parents pay for private or parochial schools. The U.S. Supreme Court decision that last week upheld a controversial program in Cleveland has provided fuel for the movement here, he said.

"There will be legislation in Pennsylvania" this fall, said Bowes. "We are confident of that."

But constitutional problems aren't the only obstacles, said Cowell. The cost of a voucher program in Pennsylvania has been estimated at an unpopular half-billion dollars, he said.

And vouchers generally have no support among the state's many rural legislators, who represent areas where there are no private or parochial schools and who aren't interested in spending money on a program which they perceive benefits mainly Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

Former Gov. Tom Ridge "worked harder than any other governor" on trying to build support for vouchers, said Cowell, but ultimately was unsuccessful.

However, the Legislature did approve his "Educational Improvement Tax Credit" program, which gives tax credits to businesses that donate to scholarship or educational improvement organizations. Those organizations can use the donations to help families pay for nonpublic school tuition.

Cowell pointed out two problematic sections -- at least for voucher supporters -- in the Pennsylvania Constitution: "No money raised for the support of the public schools of the commonwealth shall be appropriated to or used for the support of any sectarian school" and "No appropriation shall be made to any charitable or educational institution not under the absolute control of the commonwealth."

But Bowes said later that he believes legislation can be written to enable a voucher program -- even if it later faces a legal challenge, as the Cleveland program did.

"If something is good public policy, you pass it, and then you let it play out in the courts," said Bowes.

While he acknowledged that vouchers in the past have faced "powerful opposition" from lawmakers, he said that newer and younger legislators are replacing "the old power structure" and have been more amenable to voucher programs.

The diocese is working with pro-voucher organizations that lobby legislators, including the REACH Alliance (Road to Educational Achievement through Choice).

Dennis Giorno, executive director of the Harrisburg-based group, yesterday wouldn't identify legislators but said, "We really have good candidates on both sides of the state. There is no lack of interest. We're just picking and choosing strategically."