Non-public education a popular choice in area

Public educators

positive about trend

By KREMENA TODOROVA

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- New Ulm has one of the highest percentages of school-age children outside the public school system in Minnesota, according to a report by the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

In 2002-2003, 32.6 percent of New Ulm children chose non-public education options, placing New Ulm fourth among the state's school districts in terms of their popularity, shows to the report, based on Department of Education statistics.

Other schools in the area also reported a high proportion of kids choosing non-public alternatives. In Sleepy eye, 47.5 percent of kids opted for non-public schools, the highest percentage in the state. In Nicollet, the percentage was the third-highest in the state, 33.3 percent.

New Ulm Superintendent Harold Remme attributed the large proportion of students forgoing public schools to one obvious, well-known local factor -- a strong parochial school tradition.

"This is a community that strongly embraces educational choice," Remme said. "There are excellent (non-public) opportunities for students, both in the Catholic and the Lutheran school systems."

In contrast, the proportion of students in New Ulm that opt out of the home district for other reasons -- home schooling, post-secondary enrollment options, charter or other alternative schools, or open enrollment -- is comparable to numbers for other school districts of New Ulm's size, said Remme.

The popularity, locally, of non-public schools is "a given," rather than an evolving or recent trend. Public school educators see it as "a healthy thing."

"It gives families a choice -- and we are fortunate to have three good choices," said Remme.

Remme is quick to define the relationship between public and private schools in terms of "cooperation, rather than competition."

The schools cooperate in health services, guidance and counseling, textbook allocation and special education -- areas in which services are either provided jointly, or else dollars for non-public schools "flow through" the public school system.

Responding to a notion that by attracting students, private schools can drain state funds away from public schools, Remme notes that any additional revenues associated with larger enrollment come hand in hand with additional expense.

"We try to operate as efficiently organized and staffed as possible," said Remme. "Greater enrollment would require larger facilities and more staff."

Remme also sees school choice as having a "two-pronged" impact on extra-curricular activities.

On the one hand, combining the school systems' resources -- and creating a larger pool of participants to draw on -- might "add depth" to fine art activities, mock trial or speech programs. Likewise, some may feel that by combining athletic talent, the different school systems could be "more dominant."

Conversely, only so many kids can be on a team. A single school system, with its fewer teams, would translate into "fewer kids getting a chance to develop their skills."

Asked to comment on how a strong non-public educational system impacts the district's ability to raise funds in excess-levy referendums, Remme concedes that the perception that non-public school families would pay for education twice (once in tuition and once in taxes) "may be a factor in the minds of some people."

"Because of the non-public factor in our community, when we ask for funding in an excess levy referendum, it is more important to adequately inform the public about what we are doing," he said.

Arla Dockter, Sleepy Eye Superintendent, largely echoed New Ulm educators' ideas.

Sleepy Eye has a "very strong parochial school tradition," she said.

"It's just always been that way. Many parents who are alumni of either the Catholic or the Lutheran school systems would like to give their children the same type of education.

"We respect that choice. We like our community to have options."

Dockter pointed to "several pluses" associated with school choice -- several school systems give more children the chance to participate in activities, and children learn to cooperate with peers from other schools, in settings such as shared classes in high school.

"On the flip side, it makes it more difficult to pass a referendum -- it takes more education (of the public)," she said.