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Thursday, June 29, 2006

Editorial: Let's See Home, School Alliance


    Moriarty Municipal Schools— facing a $500,000 budget cutback and a possible school closure— has taken an innovative step that could help ease its crisis.
    Last week, school district officials met with parents who home-school to learn what they would like to see in terms of a public and home-school partnership.
    The alliance could give home-schooled students the benefits of public classrooms. In return, the district could receive much-needed funding.
    A student who home-schools could attend classes or activities that are more difficult to provide in the home, such as science laboratories, computer labs, libraries, science fairs or clubs.
    If this student enrolls in a public school for at least 183 minutes a day— considered half a day— throughout the school year, the school receives state funding for the child.
    The flexibility home-schooling offers is one big draw for teaching at home, according to parent Michele Powers-Hardy.
    "I don't have any major horrible experiences or anything," Powers-Hardy says of public schools.
    Superintendent Karen Couch says another possibility is for the district to offer an independent study program. It would allow students to take one or two individual classes and fulfill the rest of the half-time requirement with independent work.
    A list of extracurricular activities, facilities and resources available to home-schooling students is to be prepared for the next parent meeting in July.
    The district deserves credit for coming up with a creative, progressive, innovative problem-solving approach. Home-schooling families should consider such an alliance. It sounds like a win-win situation.