My letter in The Philadelphia Inquirer about school choice

The following is a letter to the editor that I wrote, which appeared in the December 11, 2016 edition of The Philadelphia Inquirer, in which I discussed President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for education secretary and the criticism she has engendered due to her support for non-public schools:

School choice deserves backing

The opposition to President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for education secretary because of her support for school choice is an affront to children across the country whose educational opportunities are enhanced because of their ability to attend schools that are best-suited to their particular needs (“Education choice shows schooling split,” Tuesday).

For far too long, teachers’ unions have vehemently opposed any constitutionally permissible aid to nonpublic schools, despite the critical role they play for so many families. The more than five million pre-K to 12th-grade students in nearly 34,000 nonpublic schools do not deserve the disparagement that some public school advocates espouse on a regular basis.

For our children’s sake, let us hope that Elisabeth DeVos will propose new policies and ideas that will not only strengthen our public-school system, which is vitally important, but that will also afford nonpublic schools the assistance and recognition they so desperately need and deserve. As DeVos aptly stated, “The status quo is not acceptable.”

N. Aaron Troodler, Bala Cynwyd

My letter in The New York Times about racism coming out in the open

The following is a letter to the editor that I wrote about the recent emergence of the alt-right, a group that espouses hatred, bigotry and intolerance, which appeared in the November 23, 2016 edition of The New York Times:

When Racism Comes Out in the Open

November 23, 2016

To the Editor:

Re “Alt-Right, Exulting in Election, Salutes Winner: ‘Heil Victory’ ” (front page, Nov. 21):

The alt-right’s recent conference in Washington is a sad and stark reminder that racism is alive and well in America.

The unabashed denigration of Jews, African-Americans, immigrants and other minorities by the alt-right is a means by which it can peddle and propagandize the prejudice and hatred that have kept it on the fringe for much of its existence. President-elect Donald Trump’s victory should not and cannot give license to racism, and the alt-right’s use of his electoral win to come out of the shadows and feel emboldened is appalling and frightening.

At a time when our nation desperately needs to come together and bridge the divide, hate-mongering by the alt-right counteracts the healing.

The alt-right’s impudence in opposing the tenets of our democratic society in an open forum should serve as a cause for alarm for every American who values equality and social justice.

N. AARON TROODLER

Bala Cynwyd, Pa.

My letter in The New York Times about Donald Trump's VP selection

The following is a letter to the editor that I wrote about who Donald Trump should pick as his running mate, which appeared in the July 3, 2016 edition of The New York Times:

As he tries to shed the labels that have beleaguered him on the campaign trail, such as “inexperienced,” “misogynistic,” and “egotistic,” Donald Trump desperately needs a running mate who will help him overcome his perceived shortcomings. Mary Fallin, the charismatic governor of Oklahoma, who served four years in Congress, would be the perfect equalizer. She would bring gender and geographic balance and significant governmental experience to the G.O.P. ticket. While she has Capitol Hill know-how, Governor Fallin isn’t considered a “Washington insider.” She would be a compelling V.P. choice.

N. AARON TROODLER, Bala Cynwyd, Pa.

My Op-Ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer

The following is an op-ed that I wrote which appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer, in which I discuss the efforts of the OU Advocacy Center and its diverse group of coalition partners on behalf of Pennsylvania students:

Despite budget fight, an effort focused on students

February 10, 2016

By N. Aaron Troodler

Pennsylvania has long been a pioneer in school choice, providing tax-credit programs that enable tens of thousands of low- and middle-income families to place their children in the most appropriate educational settings. But the state's budget stalemate threw these crucial programs into a dangerous limbo.

Ultimately, Gov. Wolf took the necessary steps to free up the $150 million in scholarship funding from Pennsylvania's unique tax-credit programs, which give pre-K-to-12th-grade students the ability to attend the nonpublic schools best suited to their needs and beliefs. If not for the governor's last-minute approval, this year's funding would have been lost.

The establishment of the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) in 2001 and the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) in 2012 enabled companies to support school choice opportunities for Pennsylvania children. To date, these programs have yielded approximately $900 million, providing scholarships for more than 50,000 students annually.

This school year's last-minute release of tax credits for schools wrought unnecessary drama for Pennsylvania families. Without the funding, some of them would have been forced to disrupt their children's education by pulling them from their schools and moving them into others less suitable to them.

That this saga had a happy ending was due in large part to the state's school-choice community uniting to advocate for children, as well as strong bipartisan support from the legislature.

For months, the Orthodox Union Advocacy Center, along with coalition partners such as the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference, the Jewish Federations, the REACH Foundation, and the Pennsylvania Affiliate of the Council on American Private Education, worked tirelessly to bring awareness to the dire need for the tax-credit programs. Working collaboratively, we developed a cohesive strategy that kept students' and families' needs and best interests at the forefront of the state's agenda.

We helped the public, the legislature, and the governor understand that these programs don't benefit any single community. Rather, they improve educational possibilities for children from a variety of backgrounds throughout Pennsylvania.

The education tax-credit programs are a lifeline for families across the state, and we can't afford to allow government fights to jeopardize these critical revenue streams.

Now that this recent crisis has been resolved, we must continue the spirit of teamwork that brought together so many ethnic and religious groups and school choice organizations to advocate for all of our children and find ways to insulate the EITC and OSTC programs from political squabbles.

One way to achieve this is to push for current legislation that would allow EITC and OSTC tax credits to be used retroactively for applications submitted in the prior calendar year. That would go a long way toward avoiding last-minute havoc due to budgetary and other governmental wrangling.

It is up to all of us to work together not only to protect but also to enhance educational opportunities for every child in Pennsylvania. The EITC and OSTC programs are a crucial means to get a quality education. Each of us has a duty to ensure that our children's future remains bigger than any budget battle.

N. Aaron Troodler is an attorney and the Pennsylvania regional director for the Orthodox Union Advocacy Center, the nonpartisan public policy arm of the nation's largest Orthodox Jewish organization.