Homeschool Dad Appointed To School Board
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.
|
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. 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. |
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).
|
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.
