Homeschool Dad Appointed To School Board
- on 10.20.06
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A homeschooling dad has been appointed to fill a school board position until the next election. (Hat tip: 5/17) As it might be expected here, this has caused an uproar in the community.
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FREDERIC, WIS. – As a local businessman, volunteer firefighter and dad of two, Lee Jensen seemed like an easy choice for this small Polk County town’s school board. But he’s also a dad who has home-schooled his kids for a decade. “I don’t think that he has the best interests of the students in our school district in mind,” said Colleen Geisen, who intends to run for a seat on the board. “I think he’s maybe on the board for other reasons. I think he’s concerned about morals and values in the public school system.” Chairman Kay Friberg said Jensen’s appointment makes sense. He said that residents had complained about high turnover on the board, and that Jensen brings long-term stability. Friberg also said a diverse board makes better decisions. More than 40 children are taught at home in the Frederic district, possibly the most of any of the small towns along Hwy. 35 in northwestern Wisconsin. Friberg and the school’s superintendent, Gerald Tischer, hope Jensen’s appointment will help build a bridge with these families. Jensen knows he’s a lightning rod, but he pledges to act in the best interests of all of Frederic’s residents. “I didn’t take this position to pull home-schoolers into the district or the other way around,” he said. Jensen, who grew up in New Richmond, Wis., said he hopes to use his school board seat to find ways to help troubled kids. He said youth in the Frederic district stole his pickup truck and motorcycle, and because of incidents such as that, he wants to find a “safety net” for misbehaving kids. |
This article is very interesting to me since I homeschool and am obviously very interested in holding public schools accoutable for how they spend taxpayer money and also to provide the children they teach a very good education. Should homeschooling parents, or adults without children be barred from serving on school boards? I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic. There is also a lively discussion similar to this going on at The Obscure Store (Warning: some of the comments are a little racy).
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One cause of concern about the schools: loss of revenue from the children whose parents have chosen to educate them at home. Each of those children would be worth an estimated $5,800 in state aid if they were enrolled in public schools. “That’s revenue we lose,” Geisen said. “That’s part of why we’re so broke.” |
This excuse wa s laughable. The majority of schools save money each time a student does not attend because they spend more on average than what the State Aid is in return for attendance. This is because they continue to recieve property tax money from those parents while decreasing their expenses.
