Grateful my parents made the sacrificial decision to enroll me in a Catholic school

Posted

TO THE EDITOR:

I am a parent of 2 children who attend a private school, a member of the Rhode Island Families for School Choice and also a middle school alumnus of a private school. I remember how concerned my mother was when she found out that I was assigned to attend a public middle school that (at the time) had very little structure, no anti-bullying policies, daily violence among students and little to no encouragement for parent involvement. My parents sacrificed their time to work more in order for them to afford to place me in a private school. It was the most sacrificial decision that they made at that time; I am truly grateful for them.
My husband and I made the sacrificial decision to place our children in a private school. After countless conversations over financials, we agreed to make that move. It doesn’t make sense to me that my husband and I (taxpayers) have to pay tuition to place our children in private schools although there is state funding that follows them throughout their time as a K-12 student. Why does that funding not follow the student at a school that WE choose to place them in? It would surely resolve the student body shortage in private schools. Parents know what’s best for their children. Parents should have a choice to place their children anywhere in the district. Parents are their children’s main advocates. I stand proud and I fully support the district-wide School Choice movement!

Sandra Olivo Peterson, Cranston