This page was last updated on March 16, 2010.
Board was right to deny charter school; Denise Campbell; Beaver County Times; March 16, 2010.
Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.
“I want to know where all these families were when Mount Gallitzin needed enrollment to keep the school open? Oh, yea, they had to pay tuition to go to a private school.”
[RWC] As you will see, Ms. Campbell tries to make the Baden Academy Charter School issue about Mt. Gallitzin and the Sisters of St. Joseph.
Isn’t this part of the reason for charter schools, to give parents education choices without forcing them to pay tuition twice, once in school taxes and again to the school their children attend?
“We have public schools for free schooling that teach the same academics and have a lot more selection. We also have brand new schools, which are up to date. Ambridge Area is not a bad school district.”
[RWC] Charter schools, like Baden Academy, are public schools. Is Ms. Campbell implying they are private?
“A lot more selection?” Even if it were true, that alleged selection may still not be what the parent and student are looking for.
Choosing one school over another doesn’t make one school “bad.” When my parents sent my brothers and me to St. Titus (grades 1-8), it wasn’t because they didn’t like Center’s grade school. It was because they wanted us to get a Catholic education. In the case of Baden Academy, it’s likely because the parents want an “arts-infused elementary and middle school program (K-8) based on a classical education model” (whatever that is) for their kids. That doesn’t make Ambridge schools bad; it only means the parents want something different for their children.
“I think it is a disgrace that the Sisters of St. Joseph have sold their soul for money by covering and removing the statues. They said they did not want it vacant. Then why didn’t they lower their tuition and keep the academy open.
“However, they did take all of the improvements that were donated by the parents of the students.”
[RWC] Dumping on the Sisters is pretty low. The Sisters have a now unused building and they need to find a use for it. Folks, IT IS ONLY A BUILDING!
“Don’t tell me there is not a need for Catholic schools. St. John’s in Monaca has more than 30 children in its kindergarten class. How many of them would have stayed over here if the tuition was reasonable? What have the sisters done?”
[RWC] As for the Mt. Gallitzin tuition comments, I researched local Catholic school tuition several years ago. All of the local Catholic schools charged tuitions significantly lower than the per-pupil costs of local public schools. That made tuition more than “reasonable.” Part of that lower tuition was the result of giving by various benefactors. Unlike public schools which can raise revenue to cover costs by raising taxes, private schools must make ends meet via tuition plus charitable giving. If the Sisters were to reduce tuition, from where were they to get the revenue to cover their costs? Even the most generous of us have limits.
As I noted above, parents who send their kids to private school pay tuition twice. For many (most?) families, paying tuition twice simply isn’t an option no matter how low the private school tuition is.
“Let’s give the Ambridge Area School Board credit for not approving the charter school. Let’s keep it denied.”
[RWC] I wonder what is really behind Ms. Campbell’s opposition to the Baden Academy. I don’t believe Ms. Campbell would have been OK with BA if Mt. Gallitzin were still operating and BA were to be located in some other facility. I don’t know anything about Ms. Campbell, but another letter from a BA opponent was written by someone with an apparent tie to AASD.
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