PaAC: I've had an idea.

[velvetpage]

I was discussing the homeschooling debate with my dad just now, over steeped tea and donuts at Timmy's, and he pointed out that Canadians who want a religious education have an alternative to secular public schools, in the form of the Catholic school board. (At least, they do in most provinces.) We discussed alternative schools within the boards of education, and I had an idea.

It is quite common now for school boards to offer alternative or magnet programs within the public school framework. That is, a school will be geared towards high-level athletes, or towards the arts, or towards science. These schools are generally opt-in; that is, there is no real catchment area other than living within the confines of the school board itself, so no one is forced to attend these schools because of what street they live on.

Why not offer a magnet school for mainstream Protestant education? That is, an opt-in school, under the public umbrella, that gives kids the religious education they would otherwise be homeschooling or charter schooling to obtain. It would be staffed by teachers within the school board who followed the same creed, and those teachers would have all the same employment standards as their counterparts in the rest of the public board. The one and only difference would be the Christian focus.

In some areas, particularly the Bible Belt, you'd probably end up with two separate systems under one umbrella. That would be fine, as long as the public, secular schools continued to operate and were reasonably located to service the population who attended them. It would give parents and students a choice within the public system, so it would no longer be necessary to go outside the public system to get a religious education. The key here is that it has to be opt-in. So long as students and parents have a choice, it doesn't violate any rights. It's only when that choice is denied that there is a violation.

Thoughts?

Comments

[dawn-again.livejournal.com]

There's a Canadian Bible Belt?

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

No, I was speaking in broad North American terms.

[dawn-again.livejournal.com]

It's unconstitutional in the US.

First Amendment
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

This has been partially interpreted by the Supreme Court as a prohibition on spending public funds for the teaching of any religon.

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

Then I'd say the First Amendment, in this case, is shooting itself in the foot. If people want the option enough, they will pull their kids out of public education entirely and work to bring down the system - as is already happening in some parts of the South. This suggestion allows for both a secular and a religious option within the same bureaucratic framework.

[mysirensong.livejournal.com]

Actually, as over-populated as our schools are here in Raleigh, where we are absolutely BOOMING and we can't build schools fast enough, a couple people pulling their kids out because they want them to be educated at home would probably make a lot of teachers breath a sigh of relief. They're over-extended enough -- let them focus their talent and energy on the children whose parents aren't bitching and moaning because they want the Ten Commandments displayed in school.

[freifraufischer.livejournal.com]

We can't build schools in Wake County fast enough so we're transforming so many into year round schools. I am ignorant on the subject but I've never quite understood why the year round calender lets the same school service more students.

[mysirensong.livejournal.com]

You're in Wake County, too?? How cool. :)

I'm trying to think of how to explain it. Let's say you have 30 desks in your classroom, but you have 40 kids you need to teach. You put them on "tracks" so that at any given time you only have 30 kids in your class, but you rotate them out. So, at one point you'll have groups A B & C there while D is at home, then group A goes home, D comes in - so you had B C D. Then B goes home, A comes back in so you have A C and D, and so on. You're teaching the same number of students, using the same number of resources (desks) but using "time" to your advantage so that you can fit everyone in.

Obviously, you don't have kids in the same *class* rotating tracks like that - because that would be a nightmare to teach, wouldn't it? - but the school does this basic concept with classrooms, books, equipment, etc.

And then, obviously the only way to make sure that the required 180 days (or whatever it is now) are being met is to extend the year since every 9 weeks or so you have a three week break.

Does that make sense?

[freifraufischer.livejournal.com]

I live in Apex.

That's probably the best explaination I've heard, certainly better than any of the local news stations has given. They just keep repeating that you can fit more kids in the classrooms without explain how.

[melstra.livejournal.com]

I'm curious about your example of the south's "bringing down the system". Elaborate? While it's true that pulling good students out of a public school can tend to leave the majority flailing, the fact is that people who put their kids in private school STILL pay taxes to the public school (a double whammy for their pocketbooks as they're also paying private school tuition). (At least so far as I know.) So by pulling their kids,they're actually making it easier on the system in that they're functionally increasing the amount spent per student, right? I'm not trying to argue here, just curious and fact-seeking. :)

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

Not in Ontario. Yes, they pay school tax, but the funding for the school is based on how many kids are enrolled in that school. If there are fewer kids, there is less funding. The school tax disappears into the government coffers, never to be seen again. AFAIK, that's the way it is for most school systems.

This is why the public system in Ontario suffered so much in the last eleven years. The per-student funding was based on an outdated, unresponsive formula, and was insufficient to meet school needs. In shrinking boards (like Hamilton) the board couldn't get enough new funding to provide extra programs, or in some cases meet its obligations, because no new students were coming in to add to the board's funding. Meanwhile, Peel board in Mississauga/Brampton has been booming because the housing in that region is booming. They've got new schools popping up all over the place, and they're able to hire before anyone else because of the extra funding from an expanding board.

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

There are some powerful people in the Southern Baptist Convention, among other denominations, who are advocating that all Southern Baptists pull their kids out of the public system to homeschool them. The stated goal is to bring down the public system by not leaving enough of a tax base. When I find a link, I'll post it - I don't have it handy.

[dawn-again.livejournal.com]

I cant even discuss this any further.