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Posted on 12/18/2001 3:16:17 AM PST by JimVT

DORTA'S CHOICE.

by Libby Sternberg

There are dozens of reasons why parents decide to choose a school for their child, instead of allowing the "mere fortuity of their residence" (to quote the Vermont Supreme Court justices in Brigham) to choose a school for them.

Those reasons could include the following:

· perhaps their daughter was being bullied or harassed in her former school and her parents decided she needed to get out of a dangerous situation.

· perhaps their son had been beaten up in his former school.

· perhaps their son was at a turning point in his learning life and the parents realized that if they didn't find another approach soon, he would be "lost."

· perhaps they wanted their daughter to learn in an atmosphere where religion and moral values were a part of the mission of the school.

· perhaps they were frustrated with the curriculum, or block scheduling, or semestering, and knew that, no matter how hard the school tried to fix the problem, the fix would not be finished until their son was past a crucial part of his learning life.

· perhaps discipline problems at the local school made it impossible for their daughter to learn.

· perhaps their son is advanced for his age yet the local school does nothing to accommodate his special needs

All of the above are real-life factors that have influenced parents to choose private schools or public schools outside their districts in Vermont. I know - I've heard these reasons from parents who want education money to follow the child to the school of their choice.

Perhaps VT NEA President Angelo Dorta recently chose a private, parochial school for his son's senior year of high school for one of those reasons too.

The difference between Dorta, and other parents, however, is money. Because of his salary, Dorta probably can well afford private school tuition. Some of the parents whose reasons are listed above cannot. The government requires them to educate their children, yet will only pay for education in a public school.

From now on, when parents hear Dorta spouting platitudes about the value of public schools and the need to support them, they are sure to listen with skeptical ears. In essence, what he and other school administrators who send their own kids to private schools are saying is "Let them eat (public school) cake."

Choice opponents who send their children to private school know firsthand the anguish that parents feel when their children's needs are not being met. They know firsthand that well-intentioned local school board members, eager local school administrators, and high-minded local teachers mean nothing if their child is suffering. They know firsthand that there is a limited amount of time in a child's life to "get it right," and waiting for the local school to get it right often takes longer.

Yet while pro-choice parents who also know this anguish have lobbied local school boards and the legislature to allow for school choice, Angelo Dorta and other powerful choice opponents were arguing against them - in the courts, in the legislature, on the air and in print.

Dorta defends his choice by saying it is a personal matter. That rings hollow to parents who cannot afford to make the choice that he has made and have had to watch while the VT NEA uses its considerable resources to act against them.

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