Addressing ESAs, Chick-fil-A and other news items

Two weeks ago, the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada filed the first lawsuit against Nevada's new Education Savings Account law, arguing that it unconstitutionally allows state funds to be funneled to parochial schools. The lawsuit also perpetuates one of ESA opponents' favorite myths: the argument that ESAs strip funding from public schools and will devastate the state education system.

Nevada currently funds public schools at an average of between $8,500 and $9,600 per student, per year, depending on whose numbers you look at. The ESA program would allow parents to remove their children from public schools and control the state funding that supported their enrollment, up to $5,700 per year, per child. So what happens to the remaining $3,000 to $4,000 or so that comes from local sources? It goes back into the public school system. So school funding actually increases for every student who utilizes an ESA.

That's not the only money myth ESA opponents push. They also claim accounts won't provide enough money to pay for private school tuition. ESA opponents love to quote tuition from the most expensive private schools in the valley to make their case.

There are a handful of inner-city parochial schools where $5,700 is more than enough to cover tuition. Several additional private/parochial schools are in the $6,000 to $7,000 range. But even schools that charge into five figures are not out of reach, thanks to opportunity scholarships, another school reform that made it through the 2015 Legislature, The maximum scholarship award this year was $7,755, and between 800 and 1,000 scholarships were expected to be available.

Between ESAs, opportunity scholarships and need-based aid — which most private schools offer — even low-income families can take advantage of much-needed school choice reforms. The courts need to settle this dispute quickly, because more than 3,000 families already have applied for the program.

Some other stories of interest from the past few weeks:

NEWS ITEM: Give the city of Henderson credit for knowing a viable business when it sees it and acting accordingly. Over the summer, the Henderson Planning Commission approved a permit that will allow the popular Chick-fil-A franchise to open its first Southern Nevada location, which is expected to be built at Stephanie Street and Warm Springs Road.

The Denver City Council hasn't been nearly as welcoming to Chick-fil-A. Over the past three weeks, the council worked to deny Chick-fil-A a spot at Denver International Airport because company CEO Dan Cathy once noted his opposition to gay marriage. The council ended its blockade after being reminded that the city would lose a First Amendment lawsuit — not to mention plenty of business and sales tax revenue. In a Denver Post report, airport officials intimated that Chick-fil-A could be the highest-earning fast-food concession at DIA, despite being closed every Sunday. Eat Mor Chikin, indeed.

NEWS ITEM: The Nevada System of Higher Education has a policy for administrators hired prior to 2005 that in some cases calls for a year's notice of termination — and those employees must be notified by June 30. One day later, and one year's notice ostensibly grows to two years.

So, if a longtime higher education administrator is fired on July 1, here's how his or her boss might break the news: "You're fired. You have 730 days to clean out your desk. Don't let the door hit you … Oh, never mind."

NEWS ITEM: Kim Davis, the Rowan County, Ky., clerk who has refused to issue marriage licenses for same-sex couples, was jailed last week for contempt of court and released Tuesday. Davis was elected to public office, and as such is obligated to follow the law and perform all duties that office requires.

But for those rejoicing in Davis' punishment and taking up the "it's the law" mantle, can we expect that same level of zeal to be applied to defenders of sanctuary cities, Second Amendment foes and college bureaucrats who despise the First Amendment and due process?

NEWS ITEM: Last month, Air Force One flew from Washington to Las Vegas so President Barack Obama could address the National Clean Energy Summit, consuming 21,000 gallons of jet fuel in the process. (Ever heard of Skype, Mr. President?) A week later, Alaska Gov. Bill Walker flew to Washington, D.C., just so he could fly back to Alaska aboard Air Force One with Obama, who made the trip in part to bellow more about climate change.

Which reminded me of a statement often repeated by Glenn Reynolds, a University of Tennessee law professor, USA Today columnist and purveyor of the renowned blog Instapundit.com: "I'll believe it's a crisis when the people who tell me it's a crisis start acting like it's a crisis."

Patrick Everson (peverson@reviewjournal.com) is an editorial writer for the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Follow him on Twitter: @PatrickCEverson