Alexandria City Public Schools’ (ACPS) superintendent, Dr. Gregory Hutchings has dealt with a lot of heat over the past several months according to major headlines. For example, this Washington Post article emphasized the enormous strain he was under over the virtual vs. in-person dilemma. Ironically, another interesting story about him did not get much traction, but felt very important to ACPS high school students. In an exclusive interview with Theogony, an ACPS high school newspaper, Dr. Hutchings confirmed that he enrolled one of his two children at Bishop Ireton, a private Catholic high school where students learn in person two days a week. Although students wrote this article to point out his hypocritical actions, it also highlights a larger issue at stake - having choices.
In the article, Dr. Hutchings stated, “Decisions like these are very personal family decisions and are not taken lightly. This in no way impacts my absolute lifelong, commitment to public education, to which I remain as personally dedicated as ever.”
Huh. It seems like only those in powerful positions with financial means (~$250,000 a year) are allowed to make “very personal family decisions” right now. This fall, school conditions felt VERY PERSONAL for everyone. Take, for example, an ER nurse who took out a home equity line of credit to send her three children to private school. She was quoted saying this about her decision in the NYPOST:
So many public school teachers got exemptions and are not showing up for work. As a nurse who worked in the ICU and ER at the height of the pandemic, it feels like a kick in the teeth that people are too scared to educate our kids.
The desire to do what’s best for one’s family was a desire many expressed this fall, and yet Dr. Hutchings imposed his choice on a lot of other families while opting out for himself. What if, instead, all families could choose the form of education that fit their child’s needs?
Another interesting notion from Dr. Hutchings’ interview was he wanted to make sure everyone knew he could be committed to public education while also sending his child to private school. It’s a funny thing. Many school choice advocates have been criticized for similar comments in the past. Critics often argue that if you support private school choice then you must be against public schools. But here is a superintendent making the argument that not every student needs the exact same type of education. There should be room for a “both/and” belief about supporting public and private education.
What are your thoughts on Dr. Hutchings’ and family choices? And what might it look like if all families had the freedom to make these types of choices?