"I have private preference but a public purse"

Nefertiti Denise Jones:

My 5-year-old daughter, Elizabeth Virginia, now attends a private school that teaches foreign language and arts and offers after-school music and dance classes. But tuition is forcing me to look at Atlanta Public Schools next year for kindergarten.

When I first started researching where to send Elizabeth next year, I was looking for private schools that offered tuition assistance. I also sent an e-mail, however, to my Atlanta Board of Education representative asking him to sell me on taking my child out of private school and placing her into public school. His energetic reply made me look at Atlanta schools.

I thought I would take every precaution and research the test scores of the public schools, both the regular ones and the charter schools. Imagine my shock at the low proficiency scores for charter schools in Atlanta. The charter schools didn't even outperform the traditional schools in their own zone.

I want Elizabeth to attend a good public school, one where at least 90 percent of the students test proficient in math and reading. At her neighborhood school, the proficiency is not quite at 75 percent.

I may be among the many parents requesting general transfers to one of the few high-performing elementary schools in the city. My preferences would be M. Agnes Jones, Centennial Place or Morris Brandon, all of which are sought-after elementary schools unlikely to have room.

So, my choices may come down to moving or living out of my car and sending Elizabeth back to private school.

For the most part, I don't blame the educators. I mostly blame the parents for not sending their children to school ready to learn.

My daughter is my world. It's hard to accept, but Elizabeth is turning me — a person who is pro public education — into a potential voucher supporter. If vouchers were available, I would keep Elizabeth in her private school quicker than you could snap a pole bean.

The reason I like vouchers is the same reason I hate vouchers. Unlike public schools, private schools can choose the students. If a child becomes a "problem," the parents are told, "You know, we don't think Johnny is really suited for our environment." What if public schools are left without bright students because the bright students are getting an education elsewhere?

To me, a school with great test scores means that the kids in that school feel it's cool to be smart. We don't have enough of those in the Atlanta public school system.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at May 6, 2006 6:16 AM
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