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The perils of school privatization in Montana

We talk a lot these days about the performance of our public schools, as we should. We don’t talk much, though, about one byproduct of the 13 years our children spend together. It’s the only time in their lives they’re forced to interact closely with individuals whose backgrounds, beliefs and lifestyles are different from their own. That experience teaches them more about appreciating diversity and building community than any formal curriculum could. As Neal Postman observed, the understandings and relationships forged in our public schools don’t just educate a public. They create one.

That’s why I’m not celebrating "School Choice Week" this week, as urged by the Montana Family Foundation, which lobbies tirelessly to reward parents for pulling their kids out of public schools. Certainly, parents can and should make choices for their kids’ education, especially their religious education. But those private choices shouldn’t be publicly funded. It’s not in the public interest.

Senator Mary Sheehy Moe, a one-time Montana Teacher of the Year, represents Senate District 12 in Great Falls.

Full Story: http://helenair.com/news/opinion/the-perils-of-school-privatization/article_0b4590c0-7e63-5246-ad56-47516c4d139a.html

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