Parents are carefully weighing the increasing cost of a private school education against its perceived quality, as hard times force a critical look at the return they are getting on the investment in their children's future.

The Catholic Board of Education is seeing about two percent of its previous enrollees move into the Ministry of Education's (MOE) school system or other less costly systems, its Director Claudette Rolle told Guardian Business yesterday.  Many others, she said, have been price shopping to find the education that fits their budget.

"Parents are becoming a little more price conscious now in terms of shopping around," Rolle said.  "They are calling the Anglican, Methodist and Catholic boards of education and making a decision based on price.  "We would like them to make the decision based on our ability to serve them with a quality education product, but we find that many are making the decision based on cost."

Responsible for nine schools in New Providence, Grand Bahama and Abaco, but not the Catholic Arch Diocese's Saint Augustine's College, the director said that the two percent moving into the public and other school systems is actually an improvement.  In the past, during leaner times, that number rose even higher.

But some parents are looking at more than just the price of private school, and instead, they must measure class size, teacher quality, communication with the school and other factors as they determine where they want their education dollars invested.  For many, once that decision is made, whatever financial sacrifices are necessary must follow.

"In years past, I don't know why, but it was easier to come across the money [for school-related expenses].  But this year and last year -- we had to forgo vacation.  When it came time to budget, we had to do some shaving," Antoinette Burrows, an educator and mother of three, said.

"My husband is in the business field and when the economy went down, business did, too.  A lot of the things we would have done during the summer - even the constructive things for the kids like swimming, music and typing classes - we had to find other ways and things to do."
Burrows is a primary school guidance counselor who previously taught in the high school system.  She has two daughters aged twelve and nine in high school and primary school, respectively, and a four-year-old son about to enter primary school.  Her daughters are both attending private schools, though not the same one.

Burrows said she and her husband had to step back and evaluate what they were getting for their dollar, and what the best path for their kids and budget was.  Many parents she knows are or have gone through the same process, finally opting to move their children into the MOE system.  For her and her husband, however, the student-to-teacher ratio was critically important, as well as the adjustment process their daughters would undergo transitioning to a new system.

"It's not that I don't like the public schools," the educator said.  "In fact, I think the best teachers are in the public school system -- but the classes are too big.  The classes are already big in the private schools, but not as big as they are in the public schools.  We were a little nervous about that.

"We thought about it, and talked to other parents who did it, but they said their kids really had problems adjusting too."  Even with the smaller class sizes and lack of transitional issues, Burrows said she was still not convinced that they were getting the best return on their investment.  School fees have gone up at both of the schools her daughters attend - one of them advising her to budget for 5 percent increases each year.

The Burrows are forking over around $1,600 per semester for her eldest daughters school fees alone, and Burrows said books could run another $500.  Then there are uniforms (about $45 a set), shoes (two pairs costing at least $40 each), salon and hair maintenance costs, school activity fees and so on.

Despite the costs, Burrows said she and many other parents are still having to find money for private tutors to finish the job the schools should be doing.  "A lot of parents pay for the private school and they are still not getting that quality education, so they have to outsource it" she said.  "I know, I've been through it myself.  If I could afford it, I would stay home and home-school my kids."

Another mother, who preferred to remain anonymous, said she has had to make some sacrifices, but is pleased with the education her daughter is getting.  She is attending a school on the top-end of the private school roster, where average class sizes average around 12 students.  She pays for that - about $2,500 per term for her daughter, now in primary school.  But she said she is willing to pay that for the small student-to-teacher ratio, and the excellent communication she has with the school.  She gets a daily e-mail, for example, letting her know what her daughter's assignments are.

"This is an investment, and like any investment, parents need to become educated themselves.  The schooling system is not what it was when we were growing up - the world has changed," the middle-aged financial services professional told Guardian Business.

"Parents are putting out money, but I'm not sure they are emphasizing their expectations, and demanding a return.  It's like putting $4,000 in the bank - you should expect a return."
She had to nix summer vacation plans, but said the sacrifices provided an opportunity to teach her daughter about the value of her education.

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