Neal Hardin

In Vermont, not every town has a public high school. In order to make sure that every student has access to a quality high school education, Vermont uses the Town Tuition Program, where towns provide funding for students to attend a public school in another town or enroll at a private school. This program has been around since 1869, making it the oldest school choice program in the country.

A mission statement is central to the identity of all organizations. And to advance that mission, institutions need people who align with their core values and actively carry them out. This is especially true for a ministry because what it believes is at the core of everything it does. And if its mission includes teaching and spreading those beliefs, then it is critical that the ministry—rather than the government—decides who performs this vital function. This is why our courts have recognized the principle of the “ministerial exception.”