Views mixed on private education for children of Amherst officials

By Mary Carey
Staff Writer

Published on September 05, 2008

A parent and two School Committee members said they believe the public should know if their fellow School Committee members and school administrators are electing to send their children to private schools. But other committee members question whether the information is "anybody's business."

Parent Joel Wolfe raised the question at last week's Regional School Committee meeting, saying that some parents question why residents who are leaders in the town's educational system send their children to private schools. He likened it to the concern some residents expressed about the possibility of outgoing Select Board member Anne Awad remaining on the board while living on in another town.

Regional School Committee member Marianne Jorgensen has acknowledged that one of her children attends a private school. Her other child went through the Amherst Regional public school system, and both had good experiences, she has said. Jorgensen was not at Monday's meeting.

"If you found out the CEO of Ford wouldn't drive a Ford, he drives a Mercedes Benz, would you buy a Ford?" Wolfe asked committee members. Similarly, when he was deciding whether his children should be immunized against the flu, he asked the pediatrician whether his children received flu shots, and was reassured when he heard that they had, Wolfe said.

Amherst Regional School Committee Chairman Michael Hussin initially took exception to Wolfe's question, calling it "loaded and charged."

"Maybe it's a fair question," Hussin said. "I don't think it's anyone's business."

Member Elaine Brighty agreed with Hussin.

"I find this a very distracting question and suspicious," she said. "At election time you can bring it up. You can attack people in the school system - and it was an attack the way it was framed."

But members Kathleen Anderson and Catherine Sanderson said Wolfe's question was relevant, and Andrew Churchill said it was relevant for elected officials but not for people who are hired by the district.

Hussin later said the question may be relevant for School Committee members.

Interim co-superintendent Alton Sprague agreed there should be a distinction between elected officials and administrators, faculty and staff. He has talked to lawyers and a newspaper editor about the issue, he said. "This is information that's outside a teacher's need to share with the public, according to our attorneys."

Some people might send their children to private schools because they have special educational needs, Sprague said.

Wolfe responded that it is his understanding that Amherst has a reputation for offering one of the finest public special needs education available in the Northeast.

As for whether people hired by the school, principals and superintendents, for instance, should divulge whether they send their children to other school districts, Wolfe said he thinks it "would show a great deal of integrity" if they did.

Mary Carey can be reached at mary.carey@att.net.