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Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Would You Go Private If You Could?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
On Sunday, I had a story in the paper about Sutton Middle School, and its success in attracting families who could afford the many private schools right in the Buckhead neighborhood.
Not surprisingly, I got mixed feedback. Two readers took me to task for failing to paint a more in-depth portrait of Sutton, including all its test scores and discipline records. I responded that I wasn’t out to prove Sutton is a good school or a bad school. The point of the story was that parents with other options are choosing Sutton. Two more readers wished I had noted how many of the school’s Latino students are here legally. Again, not the purpose of this story. Another was outraged by the quote from the teacher saying Sutton is free. His tax bill for schools is $4,157! HARDLY FREE! (I would say, you have to pay school taxes whether you send your child to the school or not. If you send your child to private school, you are paying their tuition on top of school taxes. So I would say it is kinda fair to say the public school is free in this context.)
But enough about me defending my story. (A few readers said they are trying to bring their neighborhood schools back to life and make them a school of choice…)
A huge hypothetical for parents with kids in public schools. If tuition were waived, would you pull your child out of public school and enroll him or her in a private school? If all financial barriers - transportation etc. - were removed, would you go private? Why or why not?
