Last week, President Donald J. Trump visited St. Andrew’s Catholic School in the Diocese of Orlando, Fla. Accompanying him were Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, and Governor Rick Scott. During his visit, the president told Bishop John Noonan, Orlando’s Ordinary, “You understand how much your students benefit from full education, one that enriches both the mind and the soul. That’s a good combination.”
The president visited this Catholic school to draw attention to what he describes as “one of the great civil rights issues of our time,” namely school choice. Vouchers would certainly benefit our Catholic schools, which exist to educate children, both Catholic and non-Catholic, in matters of faith, morals, and knowledge. St Andrew’s School states that it exists for two reasons: to get its students to college and Heaven, meaning success in this life and real success in the life to come.
President Trump noted, “St. Andrew’s Catholic School represents one of the many parochial schools dedicated to the education of some of our nation’s most disadvantaged children, but they’re becoming just the opposite very rapidly through education and with the help of the school-choice programs.”
We can hope that this presidential administration will continue to fight for school vouchers and that our Catholic schools and academies will be strengthened. Please, Mr. President, make this a top priority of your administration. Don’t forget the goodness and potential you witnessed first hand in this Catholic school, which is only one example of the fine education of mind, heart, and soul that Catholic education offers in our parochial schools and academies throughout this nation.
Mr. President, don’t just let this visit be a photo op, but work for school choice in our nation. Examine the different types of private school choice programs that include vouchers, tax credit scholarships, individual tax deductions and credits, and education savings accounts. It’s not about public schools versus private schools. And through these vouchers, quality Catholic education can be given not only to those who can afford it financially, but all children. We can and will only have a stronger, smarter, and better America through the gift that Catholic education is to this nation.