What Would You Say You Do Here?

Welcome to the FCCB Education Policy Team blog, “Education and the Common Good.”

Since starting at the FCCB about four months ago, when I tell friends and family that I am the new associate for education, one of the most frequent comments I receive goes something like this:

 “The FCCB is great! Your action alerts and candidate questionnaires are super helpful, but . . . what do YOU do there?” 

It’s a reasonable question. The policy world can be complex and rather inaccessible unless your job is to spend most of the day diving into it. Things can get wonky fast. Before you know it, you’re discussing the policy implications of a state agency regulation based on a statute referenced within another statute that’s applicable to your research because you might be able to alleviate budget concerns by eliminating a comma. 

A big part of our job here at the FCCB is doing the work necessary to become knowledgeable on various policy issues so that our discussions with, and any proposed policy solutions offered to, lawmakers and stakeholders are informed by, and in accord with, human knowledge, human reason, Church teaching and the common good. This aspect of our work is outlined in the FCCB Vision Statement: 
 
This is great vision language that articulates our mission well, but let me give you a “real world example.”

The McKay Scholarship Program provides state-funded scholarships to students with disabilities (e.g. intellectual disabilities, speech impairments, language impairments, hearing impairments, etc.) so that those students can attend private schools. However, to be eligible to apply for the program a student must have spent the prior school year attending a Florida public school. One of our legislative priorities for the 2021 Legislative Session is eliminating this “prior-public-school requirement” so that the program will be available to all students with disabilities regardless of where they currently attend school. 

To prepare to discuss this issue with lawmakers and other stakeholders, and because we might propose amending the statute, I needed to understand how the program is funded to determine (1) potential budget impacts from eliminating the “prior-public-school requirement” and (2) whether eliminating the “prior-public-school requirement” would necessitate changes to the funding mechanism. 

To do this, I needed to research section 1002.39 of Florida’s education code, state public school funding in section 1011.62 and 1011.61, the Gardiner Scholarship Program funding mechanism in section 1002.385, the Florida Department of Education regulations that relate to each of these statutes, various local school district policies regarding exceptional student education, and a few federal statutes. It was complex and took time but, in the end, I got my bearings and was able to understand the issue and see a potential path forward.

In our system of government, participation in political dialogue often requires sifting through a mountain of statutes, regulations, legislative history, and various other sources so that we can understand esoteric policy issues (such as, perhaps, funding mechanisms for state scholarship programs). In contrast to what our 280-character-limit society may condition us to believe, policy issues are complex and we have a duty to undertake the work necessary to truly understand them. Once we understand the issues we want to discuss with others, we can then appropriately apply the fruit of a well-formed conscience (that is, a conscience “in accord with human reason and the teaching of the Church”) to the discussion at hand. 

It’s obvious that not everyone has the time to do this work, which is part of the reason the FCCB’s mission is important. The Church is called to participate in political life. Therefore, under the careful guidance and leadership of the bishops, part of the work of the FCCB is to undertake the legwork necessary to equip Catholics for political participation. 

When properly formed and equipped, we as the Church have something important and worthwhile to bring into the public square. We can be great witnesses to others through our participation in American political life. In the document, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops states that: 
 
In short, the Church brings the person of Jesus Christ into the public square through her presence and witness. This is a great gift to the world because Jesus is the truth, the answer to the world’s problems, and the answer to the deepest longings and sufferings of each and every human heart. 

Thankfully, in the United States we are blessed by a form of government that protects the right of religious entities and religious individuals to participate in political life. More from the USCCB:
 
The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines the common good as the sum total of social conditions which allow people, as groups or individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and easily. (no. 1906). The Catechism also notes that participation is “the voluntary and generous engagement of a person in social interchange” and that “it is necessary that all participate, each according to his position and role, in promoting the common good.” (no. 1913). It’s our hope that this blog will examine how our political participation as Catholics, can promote the common good in education policy. 

When we combine well-informed human knowledge and reason with a well-formed conscience and a prayer life grounded in relationship with Jesus Christ, we have the potential to offer a great gift to all those that we encounter in the public square. Let us all continue to pray for one another that, by the grace of God, we will have the courage to participate in political life as well-informed and sober witnesses to the love of Jesus Christ. 
  Mike Barrett is the FCCB associate for education. Follow him on Twitter @fccb_education.

You can also read and follow this blog on substack.