Vigilant Opposition to Vouchers and Public Subsidies of Private Corporations

Adopted

WHEREAS, the NAACP has a long history of support for a free, public, high quality education for students of color; and 

WHEREAS, the NAACP reaffirms its "unalterable" opposition to school voucher programs because they take financial support from the limited resources which public schools now receive; and 

WHEREAS, the NAACP upholds and reaffirms its policies to oppose them as expressed in prior resolutions; and 

WHEREAS, we note the need for awareness and vigilance around the use of the language promoting "schools of choice", such as privately owned charter schools, vouchers systems and other school formats that siphon public resources and students from the public system are often promoted in the guise of tax credits, scholarship programs and transfer plans; and 

WHEREAS, such alternative school formats can only serve a small percentage of students which disadvantages the majority of our communities; and 

WHEREAS, we are increasingly concerned about any schooling mechanisms that threaten and deplete resources for public schools, realizing the importance of the Association's advocacy in giving voice to the voiceless masses of students who are locked out and left out. 

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the NAACP reaffirms its support for any other alternative formats that do not remove dollars from publicly accountable systems and their commitment to protect each student's right to free and high quality education.