Dear Voter,
I have started a campaign to give Missouri parents more power over their children’s education. Its goal is to achieve a form of School Choice that is both universal and affordable. School voucher systems have existed in parts of the USA for many years. To give an example of how this works in Milwaukee parents can claim a voucher worth an average of $10,000 that they can spend at a private school. Usually, these vouchers have been restricted to lower income parents. However, in 2023, five states brought in school voucher laws that were “universal” in that they abolished the upper income limit.
Clearly in the 2020s successful education is about more than just test scores. In the year 2018, 24% of incoming college freshmen reported taking prescription mental health drugs[1], most commonly for anxiety and depression. * The Centers for Disease Control has reported a doubling of the youth suicide rate in the decade after 2008[2]. Both depression[3] and suicide[4] are lower among more religious people so choosing a religious school makes sense for many families. The courts have consistently supported including religious schools in voucher programs.
Some psychologists argue that the mental health crisis is worsened by teenage cellphone addiction and the reduction in face-to-face meetings with friends[5]. The policy of “phone-free schools” has been put forward as a solution to both problems. However, if parents want to choose this they can’t if every public school in their district allows cellphones into the classroom.
When we use the term “affordable” school choice we mean that the law should insist on the “full payment rule”. This means that if a school agrees to accept a school voucher it is not allowed to charge any additional tuition fees. This form of school choice has existed in Milwaukee for 30 years. In private Milwaukee politicians of both parties admit that affordable school choice is so popular that it would be impossible to abolish it. We believe the same thing will be true in our state. Once Missouri parents experience this type of freedom, they will never let the politicians take it away.
Are you willing to support this campaign? You can visit the Web site below and click on the Volunteer menu option. Otherwise just send a text message to 417-413-4422. One of the most important things you can do in the coming months is to join a group meeting your state representative and senator. Those who stand up for their beliefs and speak in person have a hundred times more impact than the average citizen.
Sincerely,
Philip Truscott
*If you would like to see the information sources for this letter, please refer to the reference list below
[1] Eisenberg, Lipson, and Heinze, Health Minds Study.
[2] CDC, “Products – Data Briefs – Number 471 – June 2023.”
[3] Smith, McCullough, and Poll, “Religiousness and Depression.”
[4] Wu, Wang, and Jia, “Religion and Completed Suicide”; Poorolajal et al., “Relationship of Religion with Suicidal Ideation, Suicide Plan, Suicide Attempt, and Suicide Death.”
[5] Haidt, The Anxious Generation.
REFERENCES
Eisenberg, D, S K Lipson, and J Heinze. Health Minds Study. Ann Arbor, Michigan, 2019. https://healthymindsnetwork. org/research/data-for-researchers.
Haidt, Jonathan. The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness. New York: Penguin Press, 2024.
Poorolajal, Jalal, Mahmoud Goudarzi, Fatemeh Gohari-Ensaf, and Nahid Darvishi. “Relationship of Religion with Suicidal Ideation, Suicide Plan, Suicide Attempt, and Suicide Death: A Meta-Analysis.” Journal of Research in Health Sciences 22, no. 1 (October 31, 2021): e00537. https://doi.org/10.34172/jrhs.2022.72.
Smith, Timothy B., Michael E. McCullough, and Justin Poll. “Religiousness and Depression: Evidence for a Main Effect and the Moderating Influence of Stressful Life Events.” Psychological Bulletin 129, no. 4 (July 2003): 614–36.
Wu, Andrew, Jing-Yu Wang, and Cun-Xian Jia. “Religion and Completed Suicide: A Meta-Analysis.” PLOS ONE 10, no. 6 (June 25, 2015): e0131715. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0131715.