Nonpublic Schools

Hundreds of private school pupils, parents and teachers gathered at the State House last night to continue a 3-year-old quest to get state aid for Roman Catholic, Jewish and other nonpublic schools.The schools are seeking $14 million to pay for expenses such as textbooks and technology improvements.Last night, children held up signs saying, "It's about time!" and "We want our fair share," but the lobbying effort might fail this year.Gov. Parris N. Glendening did not fund the request in his proposed budget unveiled last week, and a spokeswoman says he does not plan to include such funding in a supplemental budget.

The State Board of Education yesterday tightened regulations governing Montessori and other nonpublic schools in Maryland.The changes clarify which schools qualify as Montessori and require that they employ teachers who have not only a bachelor's degree or 120 credit hours, but also a Montessori diploma."

In an article in Thursday's editions of The Sun, the position of the Baltimore area's Jewish community regarding proposed state aid to private and religious schools was not clearly stated. Although several rabbis have expressed support for the proposal, the Baltimore Jewish Council is opposed to goverment aid for nonpublic schools.Pub Date: 12/23/97

Hoping to make a stronger push into remedial tutoring in private and parochial schools, Sylvan Learning Systems Inc. -- one of the nation's fastest-growing educational services companies -- completed the purchase yesterday of New Jersey-based Educational Inroads.Sylvan's $50.2 million acquisition of 20-year-old Educational Inroads also will help the Baltimore-based company expand the number of school districts it serves, Sylvan officials said.Educational Inroads offers remedial and special education tutoring in nonpublic schools receiving federal and state subsidies in New Jersey, Maryland, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Tennessee and Washington, D.C. Privately held Inroads generated about $24 million in revenue for fiscal 1996, Sylvan spokeswoman Vickie Glazar said, tutoring 35,000 children in remedial reading, writing and mathematics.

CLARIFICATIONIn an article in Thursday's editions of The Sun, the position of the Baltimore area's Jewish community regarding proposed state aid to private and religious schools was not clearly stated. Although several rabbis have expressed support for the proposal, the Baltimore Jewish Council is opposed to goverment aid for nonpublic schools.Catholic leaders are again spearheading a campaign to get public money for private-school students by asking Gov. Parris N. Glendening to put $14 million in his budget for textbooks and technology in all nonpublic schools throughout the state.

For the first time in four years, enrollments are up in Baltimore's Roman Catholic elementary and high schools, which grew faster than the archdiocesan school system as a whole, according to statistics being released today.Enrollment at the 39 elementary and secondary schools in the city increased by 2.6 percent this school year to reach 10,891 -- an important surge for city schools at a time when the Archdiocese of Baltimore is gearing up to lobby once again for public funding.Throughout the archdiocese, meanwhile, overall enrollment in 101 Catholic schools increased by about 750 students -- or 2.1 percent -- bringing the total to nearly 36,000 students.

In a passionate address to Catholic school teachers and administrators yesterday, Cardinal William H. Keeler reaffirmed his commitment to getting public money for private school students and their families."

Saying his budget won't bear a new aid program, Gov. Parris N. Glendening has turned down Catholic school parents seeking public money for their schools but held out an olive branch to the vocal lobby, offering to explore an effort to wire nonpublic schools for computers."

Catholic school parents across Maryland are writing letters to the governor in the first volley of a campaign by the Maryland Catholic Conference to get public dollars for private schools.Parents of the 60,000 children in the state's 179 Roman Catholic schools are asking Gov. Parris N. Glendening to put money in his fiscal 1998 budget to support transportation, textbooks and technology for students in nonpublic schools."The governor knows how many parents are out there. This is an effort to tell their story," said Mary Ellen Russell, associate director at the conference, the lobbying arm of the three dioceses with schools and churches in Maryland.

Bite the BulletElizabeth M. Philip seems to think that a voucher plan would be a magic bullet to "fix" education in Baltimore (letter, May 22). Not so.Nonpublic schools seem desirable to some parents, but that is because they can select the students they serve, can get rid of those who do not fit their program and rarely enroll expensive-to-educate kids with severe physical or mental handicaps.A voucher plan in Baltimore might benefit a few students, but at the cost of hurting all the rest.

The Senate gave preliminary approval yesterday to a bill that would allow businesses to receive $5 million in tax credits for sponsoring scholarships at private schools. In about 30 minutes of often-contentious debate on the chamber floor, lawmakers struck down multiple attempts to water down or limit the bill, which opponents say amounts to a public subsidy of private schools. Calling the bill a "sham" that will "chip away at public education in Maryland," Sen. Delores G. Kelley, a Baltimore County Democrat, urged her colleagues to defeat the measure.

At first, their friends and family thought they were crazy for wanting to leave the guaranteed paychecks and benefits that came with being public school teachers in Carroll County - one of Maryland's highest performing systems - to open their own school. "I remember the day we decided we were going to do this. We got that question, `Why?' from everyone," said Diane L. Havighurst, one of the three co-founders of the North Carroll Community School. "But we have very strong philosophical feelings about the best ways of teaching kids.

Catholic elementary school pupils in the Archdiocese of Baltimore will see their academic years lengthen by two weeks over the next several years, according to a letter sent to parents late last month. Although the change won't affect the current school calendar, instructional days for 2005-2006 academic year will increase from 170 to 175, according to Ronald J. Valenti, superintendent of schools for the archdiocese. In 2006-2007, the number will rise to 180, the same as the state requirement for public schools.

Howard County is known for its fine public school system. But for those parents who feel private school is the best option, many choices are available within the county lines. Although the words private school often conjure the image of the rich and elite, the families of those who attend say that is a stereotype. The dozens of nonpublic schools, as they are called by the State Department of Education, are as varied as the students who attend. The county is home to schools steeped in tradition, newer schools with fresh ideas, schools affiliated with religious organizations and schools for children with learning differences.

Inclusion not for all with special needs Tricia Bishop's Feb. 2 article entitled, "Learning Through Inclusion" highlights the issues in Howard County regarding special education and the inclusion of students with disabilities into classrooms with their non-disabled peers. As Ms. Bishop thoughtfully points out, some research has shown that inclusion is indeed beneficial to both groups of students. The majority of parents with special needs children currently being educated in their community schools are satisfied with their child's educational experience.

In Baltimore City Infant smothered, mother found dead; seizure suspected An infant boy died yesterday with his mother, who apparently rolled over on the child while having a fatal seizure as they slept next to each other in bed. The baby was apparently smothered, city police said. Agent Martin Bartness, a police spokesman, said police received a 911 call about 3:30 p.m. reporting that an 8-month-old baby appeared to be dead in a rowhouse apartment in the 1300 block of N. Calhoun St. When Western District officers arrived, they found the baby, Antwan Moulden, and the mother, Tina Casey, 21, lying dead on the floor near the bed. They were told that Casey suffered from seizures and asthma.

In a surprising setback for Maryland's nonpublic schools, a House committee voted narrowly last night to cut the $8 million Gov. Parris N. Glendening had proposed to help private and parochial schools purchase textbooks. After a day of intense lobbying by both sides in the highly charged issue, the Appropriations Committee, on a 14-12 vote, rejected an effort by the panel chairman, Del. Howard P. Rawlings, to preserve $5 million of the spending. The committee's cut is hardly a final resolution of the issue, because the House of Delegates and the Senate must agree on whether to send more money to nonpublic schools before the state budget for next year is approved early next month.

Liz Gonzalez has to be careful when she teaches geography lessons to her fifth-graders at Father Charles A. Hall Elementary School. "I tell them to look at the map on one page, but ignore the next one because it isn't true any more," Gonzalez says. "Our social studies books are from 1993, and the world has changed a lot since then." But with the help of $13,680 in state funds - and without a major hike in the $2,800 annual tuition - social studies textbooks at the 152-pupil West Baltimore Catholic school will be up to date by the fall.

Gov. Parris N. Glendening plans to propose another round of state aid for Maryland's private and religious schools in next year's budget, reopening one of this year's most emotional legislative debates. A spokesman for Glendening confirmed that the governor intends to include more than $6 million to help nonpublic schools buy textbooks in his budget proposal for next year, a "slight increase" over the subsidy the General Assembly approved for the first time this year. "He thinks that this program increases the education of all of Maryland's students, including those who don't take advantage of public schools," said Michael Morrill, Glendening's communications director.

Gov. Parris N. Glendening plans to propose another round of state aid for Maryland's private and religious schools in next year's budget, reopening one of this year's most emotional legislative debates. A spokesman for Glendening confirmed that the governor intends to include more than $6 million to help nonpublic schools buy textbooks in his budget proposal for next year, a "slight increase" over the subsidy the General Assembly approved for the first time this year. "He thinks that this program increases the education of all of Maryland's students, including those who don't take advantage of public schools," said Michael Morrill, Glendening's communications director.