Gayle Denny, ELEA National Director for Resources

As editor of this publication, I have the advantage of writing my commentary last, after I have had a chance to read all articles for publication. As I read through the wonderful material submitted for this issue, much of which pertains to finances and fundraising in our schools, I thought about my own community of about 100,000 people and reflected on how private education here is viewed—particularly in terms of quality.

Our public school system serves about 19,000 students in 16 elementary, 5 middle, and 4 high schools. Included in that number are a handful of preschool services, ECEAP, Co-ops, etc., that are funded by the school district to serve low income children.

There are approximately 10 private elementary schools (all but 4 are small with less 100 students), and 1 private high school. Only one of the private elementary schools is non-church affiliated—it is Montessori —and the private high school, along with two of the elementary schools, is Roman Catholic. None of them are ELCA Lutheran.

A prevailing opinion I discovered as I contemplated private vs. public elementary school for my son some years ago was that, much to my surprise, many of the upper-middle-income to upper-income parents were critical of sending children to private schools because they saw two major problems: 1) private schools do not pay their staff enough to engage high-quality professionals, nor do they have the funds to offer much in the way of academic enhancements or extra-curricular activities, and their children would receive a substandard education; and 2) sending children to private schools depletes the per diem base in upper-end neighborhood schools and leaves a substandard situation for those remaining in the public schools. Lower-income to lower-middle-income parents often viewed private education as something totally unattainable financially and often felt that, even if they could afford it, their children would obtain better services and a higher educational standard at the public schools.

My observation was that the religious component and smaller class size seemed to be the only significant factors which influenced parents in choosing private education for their child. Those choosing private education had a strong conviction that, even if academics and staffing were secondary to the public school system, their child would benefit from a faith-based education in a smaller school community.

In some communities, of course, the perception (true or not) is that private education offers a standard of academic excellence that is unattainable in the public sector. Certainly public educational standards vary geographically, private schools vary, but also—everybody has their own opinion!

It is unfortunate that small budgets, lack of a strategic business plan emphasizing fund development, along with too little attention given to teacher recruitment and retention, lead to a perception (and in some cases a reality) of a substandard education in many of our Lutheran schools. I urge you to take fiscal responsibility seriously in our schools and do not sacrifice quality. Educate your school boards, your pastors, and your congregations on the importance of a financial plan that will work—so that you may continue to serve God’s children a quality faith-based education.

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