School choice instills a lot of fear in teachers. Why?
School choice means that parents can decide if they want to send their kids to private school, charter school, Montessori school and even homeschool their kids and government funds would follow the student. So no matter where the child goes, funds go with the child.
I am a private school graduate, all of my K-12 was at parochial private schools. My school had limited funds, limited resources and limited equipment. If we had some access to government funds, the school environment would have drastically improved. It could mean better books, better sport programs or better labs.
Why are teachers nervous about this? School choice means that parents can now send their kids anywhere, not just the local public school. More choices for parents means less kids in public school. Less kids in public school means less money for the district. This results in letting go of a lot of teachers because school enrollment is low. There is also one group of students who cannot attend the other options and have to go to public school. The special needs community is not readily accepted at the local private school. The learning resources are only available at public school. Private schools do not have to accept special needs kids or provide any services. However, if there is low enrollment in the public school, there is less money for every department, including the special education department, where dollars are needed the most.
Therefore, more choices for parents means less choices for teachers and special education students.
But when it comes to our own kids, is public school always the best choice? I have substituted in an elite school district with the best resources. I have taught in an international school that used the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. I have taught in a parochial school. I am currently a High School Social Studies teacher in a public school. My two girls, age 7 and 4 are young.
We are lucky to live in a neighborhood that offers three Montessori schools, three top-notch parochial schools and public schools that are highly rated. Where should I send my children? Next post will highlight the pros and cons of public school. Then we will discuss private schools and Montessori schools last. This will be a teacher’s guide to school options!