Kauffman: Few viable options for SSVC students

April 25, 2009|By KATE S. ALEXANDER

SCOTLAND, Pa. -- With the Scotland School for Veterans Children still scheduled to close in June, the Pennsylvania Department of Education said a handful of the state's alternative schools are recruiting Scotland students.

However, one local lawmaker said the extensive waiting lists, high price tags and strict requirements for admission at those schools will force most of the Scotland students to return to failing or "persistently dangerous" public institutions.

Rep. Rob Kauffman, R-Franklin/Cumberland, criticized the Department of Education on Friday, calling its latest release of information "patently disingenuous."

On Thursday, the Department of Education said it "lauded the efforts of public and private schools" that are reaching out to recruit students from the Scotland School through open houses and extended application deadlines.

"The response of public and private schools serves as an example to us all that Pennsylvanians pull together to help during difficult times," Education Secretary Gerald L. Zahorchak said. "To date, more than half of Scotland's 270 students have begun making plans to enroll in new schools next year, and fully half of those already have enrolled in their new schools."

Kauffman said the institutions recruiting Scotland students either are charter schools in Philadelphia with waiting lists 20,000 names long or private schools, such as the Milton Hershey School in Hershey, Pa., with strict admission requirements.

The Department of Education said the Milton Hershey School was the latest in the state to recruit Scotland students through informative events designed to introduce families to its academic offerings and campus.

Zahorchak said the efforts of the Milton Hershey School are "exactly the type of outreach that is so important to ease the transition for Scotland students and families."

Unfortunately, when Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell proposed closing the 114-year-old school in February, the atmosphere at the school and in the homes of Scotland families became almost immediately tense, Kauffman said.

Three months later, even with Pennsylvania System of School Assessment tests behind them and key lawmakers in their corner, many still are anxious, he said.

"The state is not closing their school. It is closing their home," Kauffman said. "To say that the state is just closing the school really minimizes the impact on the lives of the students and their families."

Kauffman said he and many other state lawmakers are working to change the budget and keep the school open, much as it did back in the 1990s.

Despite Kauffman's efforts, the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, which runs the school, is advising both employees and families to prepare for closure.

"We are letting families know that the governor has proposed closing the school and are encouraging parents to look into other options," said Joan Nissely, spokeswoman for the school.

The Department of Education is aiding employees seeking new jobs, spokesman Michael Race said.

However, it ultimately is the parents' decision where their children will attend school in the fall, Nissely said.

Kauffman said parents are contacting him in fear that, come August, they will have no choice but to send their children to struggling public schools, many of which are categorized by the state as "persistently dangerous."

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