In some regards, the numbers look good statewide for public schools. Washington ranks No. 1 in average SAT scores among comparable states, has been in the top five in ACT average scores for many years, and ranks high on the so-called nation’s report card (the National Association of Education Progress assessment). It has also been ranked eighth by the American Legislative Exchange Council for student achievement and is No. 7 in the country in basic reading proficiency (according to the Corporation for Enterprise Development’s 2003 development report card for states).

On the other hand, the Corporation for Enterprise Development ranked Washington 41st in basic math skills, the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation flanked the state in 1998, 2000 and 2005 in math standards, and roughly only half of students grades 5 through 10 passed the math portion of last year’s state standardized test, Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL).

Often times, the discussion about the quality of public education centers around funding, and many public school supporters feel the schools lack adequate money.

“The biggest challenge for the schools has been the funding,” says Bob Bentley, chair of Central Kitsap Citizens for Quality Education who has been involved actively with local and regional PTAs. “They (the state) use the same funding formula from the ‘80s.”

Jeanne Harmon, who runs a Silverdale-based nonprofit called the Center for Strengthening the Teaching Profession that is focused on supporting quality teaching statewide, says the state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction frequently reminds the Legislature the percentage of dollars spent on public education in the state has been going down.

“The funding is shrinking but the districts have less flexibility on how to spend it. Most districts across the states are feeling the pinch,” she says.

The Washington Policy Center, however, asserts the state’s public schools are well funded, and that while the proportion spent on public education has decreased (about 41 percent in the 2005-07 budget vs. 50 percent in 1981-83), the amount spent has been growing (more than $7,500 per student in 2002 vs. around $5,000 in 1982; or a total of 3.4 billion in 1982 vs. $7.3 billion in 2002).

“State education funding has steadily increased over time, and in no year has the legislature reduced the amount of money devoted to public schools. In fact, per pupil funding is higher than ever, and therefore school district administrators have more resources than in the past to educate a given number of students,” the nonpartisan think tank wrote in a 2006 report titled “An Overview of Public School Funding in Washington.”

However, Washington Learns, a task force created by Gov. Christine Gregoire in 2005 to look at the state’s education system, says in real dollars, the state is spending “far less” today per student than in was in 1993, and nearly below $1,000 the national average.

Harmon says there is not necessarily a big correlation between money spent and quality of education. “You can’t just put money into a struggling system and have it come out quality on the other end,” she says.

Kitsap County Clerk Dave Peterson, who spent 29 years in the Central Kitsap School District and was president of the CK Education Association, agrees. “It’s more than just money,” he says. “Some problems you can solve with money, some you can’t. For example, class size. You can put money into it and solve it somewhat, but it’s not enough to make it effective.”

The bigger issue, Harmon believes, is taking a different strategic approach at how the funding is spent. “We do need more money in the system, and we do need a steady source of money… but once we get that money, we have to be careful what to do with it and how we spend it,” she says. “We need to look at a different way of providing services for individual schools and different needs.”

Washington Learns has taken a similar view. In its draft recommendation report adopted in August, the K-12 Advisory Committee of Washington Learns proposed a new structuring of funding allocations using a school-based model based on things like individual school enrollment (vs. district enrollment currently), and expanded staffing categories. A final report and recommendations are due in November.

Public vs. private schools

One of the arguments by the Washington Policy Institute is that public schools spend much more money per student compared to private schools. According to the Washington Federation of Independent Schools, in 2000 it cost about $4,100 per student in private schools compared to about $5,800 in public schools. In Kitsap, the Bremerton School District spends the highest amount of money per student. In the 2004-05 school year, it spent $8,219 per student compared to $7,876 in the state. Bainbridge Island spent the least in the county — $7,404.

However, public school supporters point out that public and private schools shouldn’t be compared based on money. “I have nothing against private schools, they do great things. But public schools have to take everybody, and they have to take them as they are,” says Peterson, who is also an active member of CK Citizens for Quality Education. “Private schools usually don’t take on programs that are money-draining.”

For example, the number of families in which English is the second language has doubled in Washington since 1993, and often times those students require extra services in order to succeed academically. “There are kids in most classrooms who have either special education needs or English learner needs and are not getting the services they require,” Harmon says. “Funding drives so many decisions in the districts. Kids who are not English learners don’t attract funding.”

Harmon, who went to private school and also taught in a private Catholic school, feels private schools play a great role in American society but they shouldn’t be compared to public ones. “Their mission is different from the public schools’ mission, which is to serve every child in the community,” she says.

While some private schools offer smaller teacher-student ratio and a more individualized curriculum, it’s not an option available to everyone. The average statewide tuition rates in private schools for primary grades were nearly $5,400 in 2004-05, and nearly $8,000 for high schools, with some schools’ tuition as high as $20,000.

For many families, private schools are an opportunity to have their children in smaller classrooms and smaller school communities, says Trish King, head of The Island School on Bainbridge. “I could do so much more in an independent classroom and a much smaller classroom,” says King, who has been in private education for three decades and had briefly taught and was educated in public school. “Parents walk in the door here looking for an environment that will celebrate their child as an individual, that will make the child feel safe and appreciated — an environment in which most people will blossom.”

In October 2004, more than 2,000 students were enrolled in about 25 Kitsap County private schools. King disagrees that private schools reflect different socio-economics due to their costs to the families. The Island, which enrolls about 90 students, provides financial aid to about 25 percent of those enrolled, she says. King feels private schools try to make sure they reflect the diversity of the community outside their doors by offering scholarships and financial aid programs.

“I’ve never been in a private school that didn’t have a financial aid program,” she says.

Home schooling

Many parents who feel their children are not getting the right education in public schools opt for home schooling instead. In Kitsap’s five school districts, nearly 880 students were registered as home-schooled in the 2003-04 year.

“Parents are upset about the basics: math, writing, reading. A lot of new ones are not even willing to try (public school), they go right to home school because of the controversy with the WASL,” says Marty Young, a Bainbridge Island resident who home schooled three children starting with her oldest child in third grade. Not satisfied with the basic education in her school district and the limited choices in private schools, she opted for home school and has helped create a support group for parents like her. She dispels the myth that home schooled children don’t socialize with their peers — the two groups she belongs to do group things like co-op teaching, regular field trips and a variety of activities.

Although home schooled students don’t have to take the WASL (neither do private schools), they do have mandatory tests every year after a certain age — and Young says many home schooled students are doing quite well academically and “zipping right into college.”

The local school districts offer support for families who choose to home school, but the level of support and the requirements vary from district to district. Home schooling can be a much less expensive choice than private schools, especially for those families that use materials offered by their school districts.

The bottom line for parents, regardless of what curriculum they select, is the time involved.

“It’s a huge time commitment, a big job,” says Patty Hewer with the Bremerton School District. “Parents shouldn’t even approach it unless they’re prepared to invest the time.”

The time investment, however, is a universal requirement. Both private and public school supporters say parents are ultimately responsible for their children’s education.

Peterson sees education as a three-legged stool: There is the child with certain aptitudes; the school that includes all the programs, technology and community support; and the parent involvement. “The parent involvement is the leg of the stool that makes or breaks education,” he says.

Giving the parents choices for their kids’ education is also an important aspect, King believes. Having the choices among public and private schools allows parents to make better decisions, she says.

“It’s important to recognize there are so many kinds of children with so many needs that we need a broad range of schools,” she says. “No school can help every type of learner. The more good choices here are available, the better we can educate our population.”.