Voters said no to school vouchers. What’s next for the school choice debate?

This article was first published in the State of Faith newsletter. Sign up to receive the newsletter in your inbox each Monday night.
Three ballot initiatives on school choice failed on Election Day, raising questions about what the future will hold for supporters of public funding for private education.
The pro-school choice camp had previously been reveling in a number of recent wins, including a 2022 Supreme Court ruling saying that Maine could not exclude religious schools from a state-funded tuition assistance program. Now, it’s regrouping after this month’s defeats.
School choice ballot measures were in front of voters in three states on Election Day:
Attention now returns to the Supreme Court, which has been asked to weigh in on a battle over a Catholic school in Oklahoma.
Oklahoma’s charter school board is seeking to partner with St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School. If the plan moves forward, St. Isidore would become the first publicly funded faith-based charter school in the United States, per Catholic News Agency.
But state courts blocked the plan, forcing the charter school board and school to ask the Supreme Court for help. Justices are still collecting briefs on the case, so we likely won’t know if they’ll hear it until early next year.
The religious makeup of Trump’s proposed administration
A new lawsuit challenges the Mountain West’s policy on transgender athletes. Here’s what you need to know
A woman who refused a COVID-19 vaccine was just awarded nearly $13 million
Can’t afford a trip to Italy? Here’s how to tour St. Peter’s Basilica for free
Video: Watch the trailer for Netflix’s upcoming biblical epic
Federal judge blocks law requiring Ten Commandments displays in Louisiana classrooms
Head of Church of England resigns over handling of sexual abuse
“The Saints” is a new docuseries from famed director Martin Scorsese. It’s airing this month on FoxNation, Fox News Media’s streaming service.
“The Saints” explores the lives of eight saints in the Catholic Church, investigating how normal humans come to do extraordinary things. The list of featured saints includes Joan of Arc and John the Baptist.
Scorsese told National Catholic Reporter that the roots of the project are in his childhood. That’s when he first pondered the saints, questioning whether anyone in his own life was capable of making similar sacrifices.
“The minute I walk out the door of the cathedral … I don’t see any saints. I saw people trying to behave well within a world that was very primal and oppressed by organized crime,” he said.
My colleague Krysyan Edler, who edits this newsletter when she’s not busy working on writing projects, interviewed Diljeet Taylor, BYU’s women’s cross-country coach, about pre-race prayers, being Sikh at BYU and the power of belief. Don’t miss it!
The last time Christianity Today’s Bonnie Kristian found out she was pregnant, she stopped being a church shopper and became a church member. She recently wrote about the experience — and about knowing that churches are “sturdy shelter(s) in all kinds of storms.”
I’ve been thinking about my media consumption habits lately and how to keep my focus on my family (and away from my phone) when I’m not working. I was glad to stumble upon a Nieman Lab column from another journalist and mom who is seeking a better way to keep up with the news.
I’m finally reading Trevor Noah’s 2016 memoir, “Born a Crime,” and I’ve been struck by how much the comedian has to say about faith. He writes about attending three or four worship services every Sunday as a child and how indigenous beliefs about witches and demons blended with Christian teachings.