Special report: Public school administrators express homeschool concerns

By Barbara LaBoe of The Montana Standard - 03/03/2005

Ed Heard, Butte-Silver Bow superintendent of schools

When Ed Heard first ran for Butte-Silver Bow County superintendent of schools in 2000, one of his campaign issues was to crack down on "bogus homeschools." As a veteran educator and truant officer, Heard knew legitimate homeschools existed, but said he'd seen far too many parents abuse the system by saying they were homeschooling just to avoid school and truant authorities.

Five years later Heard has changed his mind — but he still has concerns.

He now realizes he overestimated the number of insincere homeschools and said the vast majority of homeschool parents do a good job of educating their children. But he worries about the few who still slip through the cracks. It may be only a handful, but they are still children who are not receiving the support and preparation they need to be successful adults.

"There are some parents, the majority even, that take this very seriously and do a great job and work very hard," he said. "And there are those who simply do not and are avoiding the system and hiding abuse and neglect." Under Montana law, homeschool parents must fill out a form with Heard and provide attendance and immunization records upon request. And that's about it.

"And that takes care of the responsibility to the government, but not to the kids," said Heard, who would like to see more safeguards to ensure students are getting what they need.

He's not alone. The Legislature has seen various bills in recent years that would regulate homeschools, ranging from approving curriculums to requiring students to take standardized tests to prove they're learning key subjects.

Each attempt is met with vociferous opposition from homeschool associations and parents. They say they don't have anything to hide, but they don't think they should have to justify a legal decision to teacher their children at home.

"It really bothers me, especially when statistics show homeschool kids do very well in college," said Peggy Prigge, who has homeschooled for 12 years and admits she's adamantly opposed to regulation. "I feel it's not legitimate and it's more of a control thing. And it feels like the minute they get their foot in the door it will be another thing and another thing and where's it going to end? What is important is protecting our freedom." Chuck Uggetti, superintendent of the Butte public schools, also has concerns, though he's quick to say he understands parents in the United States are free to decide when it comes to their child's education.

He'd like to see requirements for parents to show what they're teaching and how, as public schools must provide, and said he'd like to know what public schools can do to keep more students in the system.

A particular concern is that for every child that is homeschooled in Butte, fewer state dollars are sent to the cash-strapped school district.

"Anytime we we lose any kids, whether it's to private school or homeschool or moving away, it's a concern," he said.

If even half the 109 children homeschooled in Butte this year were in public schools it would bring the district more than $100,000 in state funding. One hundred more students would trigger about $350,000 in state funds, conservatively — a boon for a district facing another round of budget cuts and layoffs.

"If five homeschool kids were in the district, that's a salary for a teacher," Uggetti said. "So if they're not attending public school we're losing money." But Tricia Cox, who homeschools her four children, said she'd like to see an adjustment to the way homeschools are viewed. Yes, the district doesn't get state money for her children, but the district also doesn't have to teach or purchase supplies for them. With one less student in a class, more time is available for teachers to focus on the students who are there, she said.

"I would love to see others look at it like that," she said.

And, Cox points out, the homeschool parents don't get the state money instead. They still pay taxes — and then must purchase the curriculum and textbooks out of their own pockets. The costs go along with the decision to homeschool, but it's not as if she's actually taking money from the district, Cox said.

Sarah McKiernan, who homeschools her three children in Butte, is a former social worker and her husband is a School Resource Officer, so they understand the fear of parents abusing the system. But she also knows that those cases, while real, are a small minority of homeschooling parents.

"It drives us nuts, because it's a fragment of all home schools and it blackens our name," she said. "And so it's how do we control that without giving up the liberties that we cherish?" "I'm glad there's public and private schools, but the freedom to homeschool is something we have to hold on to."