Decison: Public or Private?

            When I first enrolled my 8-year-old daughter in Spruce Hill Christian School, a private Christian-faith based institution I was excited. I thought I was doing something extraordinary for her future. I believed that she was going to receive a quality education in collaboration with getting the attention she needed from her teachers. I heard positive things about Spruce Hill before I enrolled her and so far I have been satisfied.

I believe parents who enrolled their children into private schools, had the same perspectives I had. But in this economy, tuition has become a financial strain for many. For parents nationally and locally the recession has made them think about making the transitioning from private to public. Some parents have lost their jobs or their hours have been reduced (I’m an example of reduction) which it has made it difficult for them to keep up with tuition payments.

Even with transition in mind, school districts across the country are facing budget cuts (including Philadelphia) where it could affect the employment of teachers, initiate school closings etc. This poses another problem for parents deciding what sector they would like for their children to attend and what is affordable. A blog entitled “Private-School Refugees” discusses this issue and the decisions parents are faced with in accordance with their children's education. Parents are faced with a dilemma, including myself, on the aspect on how they should educate their child; it seems that the private schools and the public school districts are not making it any easier.