A rare op-ed piece opposing educational choice has appeared in the New Hampshire Union Leader. The arguments are boilerplate but the identity of the author is curious.
His name is Sean Parr, and he is a Manchester School Committeeman and a Professor at the College of Saint Anselm, which is a Catholic College approved by the Diocese of Manchester. Dr. Parr is a Professor of Music, and is the Richard L. Bready Professor of Ethics, Economics, and the Common Good.
Dr. Parr is also a cantor at Manchester’s Saint Joseph’s Cathedral.
Professor Parr evidently does not think that educational freedom and parental choice foster the common good in the State of New Hampshire as he used his column to urge readers to attend a legislative hearing to express opposition to the expansion of the Granite State’s successful Educational Freedom Accounts (EFA) program.
This is tantamount to opposing the rights of Catholic parents and opposing opportunities for Catholic students.
Religious and other non-public schools have benefited immensely from New Hampshire’s EFA program, which enjoys broad support even as it is strongly opposed by the powerful NEA (National Education Association) and the liberal media. Many candidates for public office who opposed the program lost in the most recent elections in November, which conservatives interpreted as a vote of confidence for EFAs. An effort is underway to expand the program, and it is that expansion that Professor Parr is opposing.
The Diocese of Manchester’s own Catholic Schools have directly benefited from the program. On February 1 of last year, David A. Thibault, the Superintendent of Schools for the Diocese of Manchester, wrote this in a letter to all Catholic School Communities in New Hampshire:
Across our system of Catholic schools, grant programs such as the Education Tax Credits and Education Freedom Accounts have bolstered financial stability. Internal financial assistance has decreased by over $500,000 in the last two years, largely because of the EFA and ETC. There are currently 492 education tax credit scholars enrolled in our NH Catholic schools, which is 8.7% of our total Catholic school population. Increasing access and affordability continues to be our mission, and these scholarships and grants help us shepherd families into the educational environment that best fits their child’s needs.
Strange that a Catholic college professor opposes educational choice that benefits Catholics.
