Vision

The Vision Home and Community Program is one of the reasons I wanted to be on the Board of Education. Its program, and its inclusion as part of the public school system, is a unique credit to this school district. I have always been a supporter of the public school system, and I am proud to be involved in a district that gives students more options for being a part of that system.

There is a lot of misinformation about Vision in our communities, and I am certainly not the best person to set it right. I would say, however, that the administrators I have met in the Vision program are eager to talk about their work with anyone who is interested. You may also find additional information by looking under the “Schools” tab on the District website, deltaschools.com, and clicking on one of the Vision school websites.

Some people say that the Vision homeschooling method cannot be effective because parents are not “highly qualified.” It is true that by the standards set for hiring teachers in our traditional schools, most parents would not meet the criteria. However, though parents may not be “highly qualified” in specific subject areas, they ARE highly qualified in knowing and addressing the learning needs of their own children. The Vision program is imperfect, but recent years have seen consistent improvement. With parents and staff dedicated to the educational needs of their students, I am confident we will continue to see growth from our Vision learners.

* Comment about Vision in a recent newspaper article: I have received several emails from concerned parents who read an article in a local newspaper that quoted our superintendent Mike McMillan as saying that our budget would be balanced if 200 Vision students returned to traditional schools. Please allow me to clarify the conditions surrounding this statement. It was made at a meeting in Crawford, where town citizens were invited to ask Mr. McMillan questions, and he answered them. I attended this meeting. As I recall, someone asked the specific question, “How many Vision students would it take returning to traditional schools to balance the budget?” Mr. McMillan answered, “200.” He was NOT advocating that we try to make this happen. He was NOT suggesting this would even be possible; we know many Vision parents are dedicated to the homeschooling format. He was NOT in any way trying to place blame on the Vision program for current budget problems. He was answering a direct question because that is why he was there. I am sorry for the confusion that this has caused.

The School District is currently in the process of renegotiating its contract with the Vision Home and Community Program. We are all hopeful that a renewed contract will be acceptable to all parties, so we can continue a successful partnership in the education of Delta County learners.