- Mache - Participation in Government Sponsored Homeschool Co-ops

Participation in Government Sponsored Homeschool Co-ops

Home educators in the Anoka-Hennepin school district, ISD#11, received a mailing that proposed a government sponsored homeschool co-op and requested parents to complete an enclosed survey by December 3, 2004. This is not the first local school district proposal of this kind, but it may indeed be the most significant to date. Although this situation is specific to those in Independent School District #11, the concept is becoming more pervasive throughout the country and the ramifications of it may very well affect all home educators. MACHE members expressed concern about the mailing; therefore MACHE sent the following response to its members in the Anoka-Hennepin school district.

     Minnesota Association of Christian Home Educators is sending out this notification to its members and friends who live in Independent School District #11, Anoka-Hennepin Schools.

     MACHE members have contacted us expressing concerns regarding a letter recently sent to home educating parents in the Anoka-Hennepin school district. Therefore, we would like to respond to all of our members who have likely received the same thing.

     The mailing includes a letter offering classes in "cooperation" with school officials and home educators -- essentially a government funded and operated "homeschool" co-op. This, in and of itself, ought to bring clarity to the minds of parents as to what limitations this educational choice will have. The accompanying survey resembles that of a typical consumer survey. While it is within the district's jurisdiction to send this mailing, parents are not obligated to respond.

     Let us first put this invitation in context. The Anoka-Hennepin District has the distinction of being the third largest independent school district in the state of Minnesota. It also has historically been the district with the highest population of home educated students. District #11 reported 944 home educated pupils in the 2003-2004 school year (Minnesota Department of Education, Home Schools Compliance Report, June 17, 2004). The number of home educated students continues to grow in Minnesota.

     The Anoka-Hennepin District has a vested interest in the number of home educators within its jurisdiction. Of its 3,856 nonpublic students in 2003-2004, twenty-five percent of them were home educated. According to "Understanding Education Finance: A Taxpayers Guide to K-12 Education in Minnesota" released in June 2004 by the Center for Public Finance Research, the average state aid per pupil unit is $4,601. This figure is quite conservative in that it does not account for pupil weight, which is a value derived by using a formula to determine pupil cost by grade level. When you multiply the 944 home educated students in District #11 by the average pupil fee of $4,601, you will find that home educators are saving Minnesota taxpayers at least $4.3 million in District #11 alone. The local school district, however, typically views this as lost funding.

     As the Anoka-Hennepin letter states, "Students enrolled in these classes would be considered part-time district students in order for the district to receive state aid for the hours of contact in order to cover the costs, which are substantial." Surely the financial gain for the district outweighs the "substantial" costs, or you would not have received the offer.

     The co-op is promoted as having a "distinct difference" from share time classes in public schools, in that the only students participating will be home educators. It is important to bear in mind that in similar situations in other states, when government assistance to homeschoolers has been offered giving impressions of permitting flexibility and parental control, the end result has always been the same -- initial freedoms are lost, state regulations tighten, and the final product does not resemble the initial offer.

     Interestingly, the same day we received notice of the Anoka-Hennepin offer, we received from Dr. Brian Ray of the National Home Education Research Institute an alarming article from Statesman Journal regarding a movement in Oregon to mandate state assessments on home educators participating in any public school classes. The article can be found at: http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041130/STATE/411300329/1042

     In a purported effort to bring accountability to Oregon school districts, pressure is growing to mandate state assessments upon all students receiving services from public schools. The article states, "But the federal No Child Left Behind Act has put added pressure on the state to test all students who benefit from public-education funding, said Cliff Brush, an education specialist for the state." It is natural that regulation follows the funding. We should not think that Minnesota homeschoolers are exempt from similar regulation attempts.

     With regards to the survey that was sent, parental responses will likely be used to justify any assistance offered by the government school, regardless of how misrepresentative of the homeschool community the survey responses might be. One parent asking for help can be taken as justification for plaguing the entire homeschool community with offers of government assistance.

     While Anoka-Hennepin's offer may represent the good intentions of certain individuals, its vision for establishing a "home school resource center, groups of various purposes, a lending library ..." clearly portrays a plan to create a surrogate "homeschool" support group. This should justifiably concern many support group leaders, as well as parents who benefit from a local homeschool support group or co-op.

     The ultimate direction of Anoka-Hennepin's juxtaposing itself with the homeschool community should be taken very seriously by home educators within its jurisdiction, as well as those outside of it. How will home educating parents in District #11 respond? Minnesota home educators, school districts, legislators, and the Minnesota Department of Education will undoubtedly be watching. Unfortunately, all home educators may ultimately pay the price of lost freedoms for what a few families see as their personal gain.

     MACHE does not presume to make decisions for parents. Our desire is to assist parents in counting the costs of their decisions - costs that may affect not only the individual, but the entire home education community. We believe an informed home education community will be a strong and a free home education community. We request that you feel free to photocopy this article in its entirety and pass it on to your fellow homeschooling friends both in the Anoka-Hennepin District and elsewhere.

     If you have any questions, you may contact MACHE at (763) 717-9070 [Toll Free outside the Metro: (866) 717-9070] or e-mail info@mache.org, attention: John Tuma or Karen Bryant.

Submitted by Karen Bryant and John Tuma, Esq.
December 2, 2004