What people are saying:

• Secular Education Association: Of the ten private schools receiving the most Arkansas EFA voucher funding, nine are Christian schools—including Baptist, Catholic, Episcopal, Church of Christ, and other Christian institutions.

  The only nonsectarian school in the top ten is Pulaski Academy.

  Those nine Christian schools received approximately $53.5 million in public funds during the 2025–26 school year.

  Article and graphic from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette:
  https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2026/jul/25/over-60-million-flowed-to-top-10-arkansas-private/

  • Facebook User: Secular Education Association So what? Did they get a great education? That is the only thing that matters. I’ll bet that education cost less and was better. Put public schools feet to the fire. Compete or perish.
  • Facebook User: Secular Education Association Do a deep dive into Indiana schools!!!
• Facebook User: So the top 10 recipients only received less than 20% of the funding. Which means the funding was spread out to many places, which is great. Thr program is certainly cheaper than educating all of those kids in public schools. And, they get a better education. Win-win.
• Facebook User: Growing the army…
  • Facebook User: Facebook User yes
• Facebook User: That’s great. Support the voucher for greater education.
  Far less cost that a public school.
  • Secular Education Association: Facebook User and no oversight and no accountability! Wooo!
  • Facebook User: Facebook User Vouchers were created to take funding away from public schools to give to private schools. It’s their only use moron!
  • Facebook User: Facebook User True. Costs less and has the ultimate accountability…..families can leave with their money! But the government schools hate competition, so they scream like children having a tantrum.
• Facebook User:
  • Facebook User: Facebook User thank you for explaining what the public schools do!
  • Facebook User: Facebook User
• Facebook User: Years ago Catholic schools, which were the largest group of private religious schools, were hesitant to receive public money for the educational component of their schools because then they were afraid they would have to follow all the open standards of public schools. What happened? Why aren’t the private schools receiving our tax money having to follow open accounting standards, or having to accept any child who walks through their doors?
• Facebook User: In Iowa those Christian schools have such privilege status their teachers can actually molest students and get probation
• Facebook User: Boo hoo. You claim “Secular does not mean godless. Secular does not mean anti-Christian. Secular does not mean hostile to faith.”, and then literally complain when “too many” parents CHOOSE Christian schools. Stop trying to claim that your organization is not “anti-Christian” because it obviously is.
  • Secular Education Association: Facebook User NOPE. Good try though. We have many Christian members who staunchly support the separation of church and state. Who do not agree with voucher programs funneling public tax money into private religious programs that aren’t held to the same standards as our public schools. Cry and whine all you want- but this will always be true.
  • Facebook User: Facebook User The only reason your bullshit religion still exists is because you brainwash each generation. You’re not convincing adults with actual critical thinking skills and common sense to join your fucking cult.
  • Facebook User: Secular Education Association do you also not agree with federal Pell grants being used at religious colleges and universities? That is also literally public tax money being “funneled” into private religious programs. Giving people a voucher that can be used for the school of their choice is not a “law respecting an establishment of religion”, which is literally the only restriction on government/church interaction. “Separation of church and state” is completely made up and nowhere in the Constitution.
  • Facebook User: Facebook User The First Amendment contains the five most important items for our founding fathers. Sadly no MAGAts like you have ever heard of it. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
• Facebook User: Imagine being upset that kids are educated. You sound like the public school institution is more important than a child receiving the best possible education. May the best schools win.
  • Facebook User: Facebook User indoctrination is not education
  • Secular Education Association: Facebook User well if the “best schools” don’t have to accept everyone or meet state standards or or or… like our public schools do- it may be a fair fight. IT ISNT.
  • Facebook User: Homeschool students have long had better outcomes than public schools and for far less. Why?

    In the state of Michigan where I live, just 24% of public schooled 4th graders were proficient in reading. That means 76% were not proficient in reading at 4th graders. You wonder why parents are looking for options?! There you go.

    The public schools don’t meet standards either so……

  • Facebook User: Try being a conservative in education. There is indoctrination to liberal ideals and a mocking of conservatives, I’ve lived it.
  • Secular Education Association: Facebook User You’re comparing a self-selected population with a universal one. Public schools educate every child who walks through the door—including those with disabilities, poverty, trauma, and language barriers. Homeschooling families choose to homeschool and don’t face the same obligations.

    Michigan’s reading scores are a problem. That’s an argument for fixing and funding public schools—not redirecting taxpayer dollars to schools that can pick and choose their students. So……

  • Secular Education Association: Facebook User go ahead and be VERY specific about the liberal ideals indoctrination and the mocking you suffered. We’re waiting.
  • Facebook User: How long do parents have to wait for improvement in those scores? In Michigan, those scores have budged only a few percentage points over the past 25 years. No major improvements in outcomes despite an inflation adjusted +24% in per pupil funding since 2002.
    When do parents get to ask for better outcomes or solutions to this ongoing problem?
  • Facebook User:
  • Secular Education Association: Facebook User Parents absolutely have the right to demand better outcomes. We all do.

    The last 25 years didn’t happen in isolation. During that time we’ve seen major changes in school funding, increased childhood poverty in many communities, teacher shortages, higher student mental health needs, the pandemic, and a steady expansion of privatization through charters and vouchers. Those factors all affect student outcomes.

    If the solution were simply taking money out of public schools and sending it elsewhere, we’d have overwhelming evidence by now that it raises achievement for everyone. We don’t.

    Every child deserves a great education. The question is whether we strengthen the system that educates everyone or continue fragmenting it.

  • Facebook User: David Thomas religious education is NOT the best education possible. As someone who grew up in religious school and transferred to a public school my last two years of high school I learned SIGNIFICANTLY more in public school than I did in years of private Chistian school. The same happened to my daughter. We made the awful decision to send her to private Christian school for 6-8 grade, and when she went to public high school she was VERY far behind academically. Religious schools can pick and choose their curriculum and more often than not it all revolves around god and how he invented everything from triangles to poetry.
  • Facebook User: Secular Education Association Neither do government schools. Only the ones fortunate to live in the right neighborhood.
• Facebook User: It’s called exactly as they planned it. Gut the public schools and launder the money in religious schools. Then accuse the public schools of failing and continue to indoctrinate kids into religion and voting republican.
• Facebook User: Because parents want a solid education for their children. Why should their tax dollars not support what they want for their children
  • Secular Education Association: Facebook User because you’ve fallen hook, line, and sinker for the bullshit propaganda. You’re likely a product of public schools. Did they fail you?
  • Facebook User: Secular Education Association When I was there no, but there was a huge difference by the time my grandkids got there. Truth is not propaganda!!!!
  • Facebook User: Facebook User Because of vouchers moron!
  • Facebook User: Facebook User because it’s one specific religion. No thanks
• Facebook User: “wE nEeD mOrE mOnEy!”
  • Secular Education Association: Facebook User That meme is from Illinois, uses 2022 data, and misleadingly turns “zero students met the state testing benchmark” into “nobody can read.” It also has absolutely nothing to do with Arkansas handing tens of millions of public dollars to private Christian schools.

    And no, starving public schools while subsidizing religious schools is not a serious plan to improve education. It is just defunding one system, avoiding accountability, and calling it “choice.”

  • Facebook User: Secular Education Association might as well not have state benchmarks then if we are supposed to just ignore them
  • Secular Education Association: Facebook User did you like your own comment? Go somewhere. 🙄
• Facebook User: You should stop and ask yourself why public schools are failing! Hint- it’s not because of vouchers.
  • Secular Education Association: Facebook User you should really go do some actual research into why public schools are STRUGGLING. You’re likely a product of public school. How badly did they fail?
  • Facebook User: Facebook User public education definitely failed you…
  • Facebook User: Facebook User Do enlighten us with all your knowledge of churches “Christian” actions of taking from the poor to enable the rich. Name one Choice school that follows the SAME rules and regulations, accountability of our tax dollars. A church gets the money from the same pot as public schools. The difference, a church can reject ANY student and does NOT have to educate special needs students. A public school follows IDEA, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1974. This Act requires public schools to provide education services for ALL kids. A church can make the “Christian” move of rejecting these kids. On another topic, churches wouldn’t use vouchers to build football and basketball teams, would they?
  • Facebook User: Joyce Hayden Bentz You speak all that like its a bad thing. Those are all benefits.
  • Facebook User: Facebook User Being unaccountable is good? Not accepting a student because that person cannot shoot a 3 pointer is good? Admitting a student who can’t read but averages 100 yards a game is good? Will they teach him to read or how to get 200 yards a game? We don’t know, that school does not have to tell us. Not having to provide services for ALL children is Christian and good? Should we pay churches to provide police protection? Should we pay churches to pave our roads?
  • Facebook User: Facebook User
  • Facebook User: Facebook User “The city parks playgrounds are rusted and falling apart, causing harm to the kids who play at it. I wish I had an alternative offered that would benefit the kids, as the one we pay for with taxes is in a state of disrepair”

    I hope they teach my son to run for 200yds a game. He can already throw for it. He can also shoot a 3, but the 818 (highest score on Ohios 3rd Grade Math assessment) is probably why he was accepted.

    My daughter was a ‘just push her through’ public student who struggled mightily in math/reading at public, but now is thriving at a private who put the time and energy needed into her. Intervention and IEP meeting requests were ignored by administration after us as parents and her last 2 teachers both recommended it. Private accepted her, developed a plan, and has her above grade level. They did in a few weeks/months what public refused to do for 2 years.

  • Facebook User: Facebook User put your son in the Indiana system.
  • Facebook User: Secular Education Association Fun fact: 50% of social research can’t be replicated nor is it implying the remaining 50% was validated. So speculation at best propaganda at worst has been influencing educational policy for decades. Take any demands of research credibility with a massive grain of salt. .. Always trust the anonymous experts they say who coincidentally never have any skin in the game for being wrong. Ignore what your eyes are seeing! . Ok. lol.
  • Facebook User: Facebook User as a resident of Ohio, why? Why would I enroll in schools an hour away when I have a great private school 10 min away?!
  • Facebook User: Facebook User you just made my point, Indiana religious schools suck. Or, you can’t read sarcasm. Our schools lose billions to these schools that are not effectively educating Hoosiers students but like I said, they receive billions. Doesn’t seem like a good business model to teach kids. Give billions to places that are not supposed to receive tax dollars that suck while our public schools suck because we can’t afford teachers and pencils. That is Hoosier republican greatness?? If Choice is so good it should be in all 50 states. How many are grifting in the name of God?A lot here in this country “Christian” state. Then more is poured in by “Christian” organizations to infiltrate more public schools’ time with Turning Point USA. If that type of act is going to be in public schools require it be before school, no bus service or after school during football and basketball practice.
  • Facebook User: Facebook User Vouchers were created to take funding away from public schools to give to private schools. It’s their only use moron!
• Facebook User: Horrible. Public tax dollars should only go to public schools.
  • Facebook User: Facebook User No such thing as “public tax dollars.” Only tax dollars taken from hardworking individuals.
  • Facebook User: Facebook User you do realize public schools first official text book was The Bible.
  • Facebook User: Facebook User Why? Public schools are failing.
• Facebook User: Isn’t that nice? Now, schools that serve students well can actually receive tax dollars for doing so. I’d call that a win-win.
• Facebook User: OK. Fine by me.
• Facebook User: Apparently, parents and students trust in Christian schools and believe they are getting a quality education.
  • Facebook User: Facebook User but we all know that isn’t true.
  • Facebook User: Facebook User, Well, apparently public schools have failed these parents who went there and are now sending their kids to private schools.
• Facebook User:
  • Facebook User: Facebook User Who cares? If they learn math, reading, writing and science better than public school students and at a lower cost it strikes me as a win -win.
  • Facebook User: Facebook User The 1950s called…they want you back.
• Facebook User: Please see post just below.

  RES has schools in Arkansas too. This is from 2014, they denied the report. The ACLU asked them, and the reply said those books have been removed.

  “Some public schools in Texas are already teaching creationism despite the fact that they are in violation of the Supreme Court ruling – that’s according to science education activist Zack Kopplin.

  Kopplin recently wrote in Slate that Responsive Education Solutions charter system, the largest chain of charter schools in Texas, is openly teaching creationism as a science as well as right-wing versions of history and civics.”

• Facebook User: Responsive Education Solutions is headquartered in Texas, but has schools in Arkansas, $200 million a year in Texas and Trump funding.

  FB is censoring links, but you can tap, copy and paste the one below in any browser.

  • Facebook User: https://www.jractivist.com/post/subverting-public-education-to-fund-religious-schools
• Facebook User: It’s taxpayer’s money. They should get to choose how they spend it!
  • Facebook User: Facebook User christians should get to choose? Naaaaaa…..
• Facebook User: Ugh
• Facebook User: Let the Christian schools get communities to vote for their own levies and lobby the legislature for their own money like public schools have to do. They get free money with zero effort.
• Facebook User: Kinda shows where the better education is, huh? Especially in the state ranked#50/50 for Education, no shit they don’t wanna attend state schools.
• Facebook User: Of course they are. They lie. Manipulate, deceive. They want public money to support them. And those churches don’t even pay taxes.