Education
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The Christian Right has campaigned for home schooling, religious charter
schools and vouchers for religious schools for the past two decades.
The Christian Right advanced this agenda at state, local and national
levels in the 2000 elections. On the Kansas State Board of Education,
a seesaw contest for control has pitted Christian rightists against moderates.
When under the control of Christian Rightists, the Board caused a national
controversy when it removed evolution from standardized tests in 1999.
The rightists lost their majority to Democrats and GOP moderates in 2000.
The new majority has revised the standards to reincorporate evolution.38 That
this battle had to be fought at all demonstrates the continuing strength
of the Christian Right. A few years ago, the focus of the curriculum
culture wars was over control of individual, local school boards. Now
many education struggles are waged at the state level as well-Texas and
Kansas are the most famous examples.
Despite Christian Right strength at the state level, two major referenda
in California and Michigan that would have provided state-funded public
school vouchers for any private school, including religious schools,
were both defeated by margins of more than 2-1. The Roman Catholic Church
and the Christian Right backed both referenda, and organizers promise
to try again. Also in 2000, the Florida legislature passed, and Gov.
Jeb Bush signed, a bill that would have provided state-funded vouchers
for private schools, including religious schools. The bill has been ruled
unconstitutional by a state judge.
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