Private schools

BOISE -- The private school model is not a new one.  They were established in America's original 13 colonies and many lasted for centuries.  Private elementary and middle schools int he west, however, are a relatively new alternative. 

Most have a religious affiliation, but independent private schools do not.  With annual tuition ranging between $3,000 and $11,000, it is an option that many families cannot afford, but those who can -- are sold on it.

Foothills School of Arts and Sciences is celebrating its 20th year as a private school.  With about 150 students in kindergarten through 9th grade enrolled, the school is breaking all of the traditional educational molds.  Most of the classes at the private school are combined with two grades in one class, with the exception of the 9th grade.

The average class size is 16 students and their school year runs September through June, with the plan to go nearly year-round beginning next year.

Shawn Shepard is the head of Foothills School of Arts and Sciences.  She attended a private Catholic school as well as a public school before heading off to college.  She says since private schooling is a relatively new education option in the northwest, she has found herself having to reach out to the community to explain who they are and what they do.

"It's absolutely critical that private schools around the country look at the public purpose for private education, that we serve something more than just an elitist kind of idea and I think a lot of folks fear the private school idea, because they think that it's kind of snobby over there and that's not who we are," said Shepard.  "Certainly in Idaho that's not who we are at all."

Who they are, she says, is project-based and question driven surrounded by the freedom for students to explore real world issues without the mandates of standardized tests and government-based requirements.

"Folks who are attracted to Foothills and attracted to independent schools in general, are really interested in seeing their kids do something a little different," she explained. "What that often translates to is the kids often have an intriguing and interesting sensibility, maybe it's in the arts, maybe it's they're a particularly great writer, maybe it's somebody who is so accelerated  in one area of their lives, but maybe not quite as strong in another."

"We try to teach our parents and we try to teach our grandparents not to ask kids what they learned today but 'did you ask a good question today,'" explained Shepard.  "Because asking questions, that's excitement for new information, that's excitement for changing something, for exploring something, that's really what we want to engage our kids in."

Surrounded by Boise Parks and the Boise Library, a big chunk of a normal Foothills' student's day involves activities outside the walls of the school. 

For Kate and Zach's parents, the decision to send their children to the private school was not a hastily made one, not only because both of John's parents are public teachers, but because they are a middle class family who wrestled during tough financial years to commit another year to a school whose tuition ranges between $8,000 and $10,000 per student, per year.

"We talk about it every year and since the kids were in preschool we talked about when to invest in their education?  Do we save it all for college or do we invest appropriately now?  Will that pay returns when they go to college and will it give them a leg up and will it give them more scholarships then?" said John and Jen Stevens.  "And of course its a gamble and you'll never know until we look back but we think their love of learning has been worth every penny to come here."

"We're a true business model that says we're going to charge tuition that covers most of our costs and that were also then going to be aggressive fundraisers and that's a different part of the job in independent schools, to build the kinds of things we might want above the great teachers and above the building," said Shepard.

Forty percent of the families at Foothills receive some form of financial aid.  Yearly fundraising accounts for a little more than 10 percent of the school's $2,000,000 yearly budget.

Economics start early at the school -- and so does accountability.  Every grade is charged with coming up with a constitution.  Students write down what type of learning experience they are looking for, as well as vows they plan to honor for themselves, fellow students, and teachers.

"Look at this fourth grader who writes 'always stand by your beliefs'.  What I love about this is it represents the daily operation but it also operates at a profound level of what they want when they learn." said Shepard.

The Foothills preschool uses the same teaching philosophy used in the elementary and middle school.

Dan Fisher teaches literature using the Socratic Seminar method which he learned at St John's College in Santa Fe.

It involves reading a classic text, a challenging one that most middle school aged students find difficult to understand.  Then, they come together in a group and discuss it, asking each other questions about it and basically figuring it out as a group.

"If the students say 'This book is too hard for me' or 'This is an 11th grade book.  Why should I be reading this?' I say, 'Because if you could read a book on your own why would you need to come to school?'" explained Fisher.

Ray Vizgirdes is an endangered species biologist whose first career was in fish and wildlife.  For the last three years, he has taught 9th grade at Foothills.  He disagrees with the notion that only education majors should be in the teaching profession at any level.

"There are a lot of good teachers out there that I know personally who don't have a credential but they have a lot to offer the youth as well as the adults because of their experience!" he exclaimed.  "Teaching is multi-dimensional, not just spitting out facts but also engaging students and that's one of the things I've learned from here to the college level.  That as we are dissecting specimens or whatever is that you engage the learning rather than just talk at them." said Vizgirdes.

Henry Shafer-Coffey is a student in Vizgirdes class.  He is back for one last year after leaving for two years to attend Anser Charter School in 7th grade and then North Junior High in the Boise School District.

"I came back to Foothills because I think there's a little more depth in what we're learning and we ask questions so it's kinda where we want to go with the subjects and it's kinda the teacher and student collaborate to learn the stuff, so it kind of develops your intellect a little more than just taking the information from the teacher and just memorizing it," Shafer-Coffey explained.

He believes the school system in Idaho is not a one-size-fits-all format, and that the freedom to choose what works best for the individual is the key to learning.

"I think it depends on what you want and what your kid wants, but its also the way you learn because some kids do better getting the information straight but some kids want to ask questions and lead themselves into learning and so depending on how you think, its a good choice either way," he said.

"I believe that kids should have the option to be in the absolute right place, I am a total proponent of choice," said Shepard.  "If that means that your child learns best at home, home schooling is an option for you, follow that.  If you believe that your local neighborhood school is the best option for your kid, follow that.  But if you believe that your child needs something different and you see a school, private, that fits that, then having those opportunities available is critical to the milieu of education."

Other independent private schools in the Treasure Valley include Riverstone, Challenger, and Arts West, to name a few.  The Community School in Sun Valley was founded in 1973 and continues to educate pre-kindergarten through 12th grade at an average of $20,000 per student, per year.  That is Idaho's highest private school tuition.

Of the 113 private schools in Idaho, most are parochial schools, which operate under the direction and guidance of their corresponding church. 

Most accept enrollment from all religious backgrounds, but many of them offer a tuition break to students who come from the religion that is the basis for that school.