The bishops of Missouri are asking parishes to collect signatures in support of the Children's Education Initiative (CEI), a proposed constitutional amendment that would provide assistance to all school children, including children attending public and nonpublic schools and children needing special programs because of their disabilities. Recently, the Missouri Catholic Conference (MCC) sent a packet to parishes that provides details on CEI and tips on how to gather signatures. 

CEI proposes a state income tax credit when people donate to nonprofit education foundations. A person could claim a tax credit for 50% of their donation. The idea is to encourage more donations to foundations thereby allowing these foundations to give more funds to local schools and more scholarships to school children from families in financial need.

Education foundations exist now in many of the dioceses. For example, the Archdiocese of St. Louis has the Today and Tomorrow Educational Foundation that award scholarships to needy students. Some individual schools, such as Helias Catholic High School in Jefferson City, also have foundations that provide scholarships. Many public school districts have foundations to assist them in funding special projects, such as developing a new science or computer lab.

The tax credit would be capped at $90 million annually. Foundations helping public schools would receive 50% of the funds, 40% would be reserved for nonpublic school children, including scholarships for children attending Catholic schools, and 10% would be allocated to enhance special education for children with disabilities.

Missouri is one of 24 states where citizens can enact laws directly through the initiative petition process. South Dakota was the first state to adopt the initiative petition, at the height of the Progressive era when reformers sought to make government more responsive to the people.

Prior to the Progressive era, U.S. Senators were selected by state legislatures, and political machines with tight party discipline controlled big city governments, handpicking candidates for public office and providing patronage to loyal followers. The initiative petition became part of the effort to obtain a voice in government for ordinary citizens, especially citizens who were not members of special interest groups.

Today, some complain that initiative petitions are pursued too often, bypassing the deliberation that should take place in state legislatures. While no doubt true in some instances, the initiative petition remains an important tool when legislatures fail to act on creative ideas opposed by entrenched lobbying interests.

For years public school groups have opposed legislation that would offer assistance or recognition to nonpublic school families. Even modest proposals to provide tax relief to parents for the expenses incurred in educating their children, have been branded as "vouchers" designed to destroy the public school system.

In fact, proponents of CEI are not enemies of public schools. The primary beneficiaries of the proposed tax credit would be public schools. Perhaps some of the groups representing public schools will take a second look at CEI and decide to support it.

However, regardless of whether this support emerges, proponents plan to communicate directly with public school parents, grandparents and teachers and explain how CEI can help local public schools while also benefiting children who do not attend those schools. When it comes to K-12 education, we are all in this together and all school children should be the concern of all us.

Most Catholic children attend public schools, not Catholic schools. In small communities there may be a Catholic elementary school, but students attend the public high school. As Catholics we are called to promote the common good and this includes the education of all our children.

Also keep in mind that in some states school districts have been consolidated and small towns have lost their public school. Missouri still has many smaller public school districts.

The Children's Education Initiative will help protect our smaller public schools.

And here is a final consideration. Right now the Missouri Constitution fails to recognize the contribution of private and parochial schools in educating Missouri's school children. Passage of the Children's Education Initiative will bring recognition and respect to all schools--public, nonpublic, Catholic, Lutheran, Baptist, etc., and all school children. That is a principle worth fighting for. Sign the petition and urge others to sign the petition.

The Children's Education Initiative (CEI) proposes a community-based approach to educating children. CEI does not impose requirements on schools. The proposal instead seeks to empower local people by giving them the financial tools to make their public schools better and to provide scholarships to children who learn best in nonpublic school settings.