Businessman Plans Chain of Private Schools

Raleigh, N.C. — Wake County commissioners agreed Monday to lobby state lawmakers for more charter schools after a local businessman presented his plans to open two dozen private schools in the area over the next decade.

Robert Luddy said his chain of private schools would be modeled on his popular Franklin Academy charter school in Wake Forest. He recently opened his first private school, Thales Academy, off Capital Boulevard in north Raleigh.

Class sizes at Thales Academy and his other private schools would be kept at about 20 students, and each school would have fewer than 450 students overall, Luddy said. The tuition at Thales is about $5,000 a year, but he said the price is worth paying to avoid Wake County's overcrowded and overburdened public school system.

"I think there's an incredible demand, particularly when schools are available at a reasonable expense," said Luddy, the founder and chief executive of Captive-Aire Systems Inc., which makes ventilation equipment for restaurants and commercial kitchens.

North Carolina state law limits the number of charter schools statewide to 100, but Luddy said more charter schools are needed to give parents more educational options and to create competition for public school districts.

"No system will guarantee that all kids will be geniuses, but what we can do is educate the students to their very highest potential by giving individual attention in the concept we've developed," he said.

Although he supports more choice for parents, Wake County school board member Ron Margiotta said he sees Luddy's idea of dozens of private schools as a threat to the district.

"These private schools are a concern because it's just a matter of time before they bring down the Wake County Public School System as we know it," Margiotta said.

But school board Chairwoman Rosa Gill disagreed.

"I don't see them as a threat," Gill said. "I see them as an enhancement to our program. I don't think that private schools (or) parochial schools are going to take the place of the public school system."

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Private schools and vouchers are not a "racial" thing. In fact, they do the exact opposite. They level the economics since the vouchers are the same regardless of income. This means that those parents who wouldn't normally be able to send their children somewhere other than public schools would have that choice. Vouchers give parents a voice in how the dollars devoted to their child's education are spent. This is why the public schools don't like them. Without vouchers the public schools don't have to worry since only so many people can afford to pay taxes and private school tuition. Vouchers mean power. Private schools are typically safer because the discipline is better. It's better because they will boot them out if they become a problem and the parents don't fix it. To those who don't like paying taxes because you don't have kids...we all pay taxes for things we don't care for or never use. A well educated population benefits everyone and the entire economy.

Wheelman
August 22, 2007 3:01 p.m.

Where does the line for vouchers start?

JennyT
August 22, 2007 2:52 p.m.

This has nothing to do with race, and it need not be brought into the picture. It is about a better, safer and a much more diciplined education for our children. Our children need stability, not to be moved around year after year, and clear across town to another community. The public school system is failing because the teachers have no support from parents, the school cannot dicipline. Parents no matter where your kids go to school, it is still your responsibility to be supportive of them and the teachers. Success begins in the home. so if you want your children to be a success, then you have to support them, and the school they go to. It is not the teachers job to raise your kids and teach them the difference between right and wrong, and give them morals....that is your job...stop failing yoru kids, no matter their age, they still need you, and want to know that you support them in a positive way.Otherwise they will end up in gangs and on drugs and alcohol.what a bright future

common_sense_plz
August 21, 2007 8:48 p.m.

I have 2 kids that I took out of public school to enroll in Thales Academy. I couldn't be happier - my kids are getting an excellent education, the population is diverse both ethnically and socio-economically, and I finally can say that my kids are at a school that puts the emphasis on education. It was a stretch for my family economically, but it's worth it entirely. Thales is not a school merely for the privelidged, they provide tuition assistance when needed. Bob Luddy is doing a great service to education in NC. I'm not surprised the WCPSS is nervous.

mumof3
August 21, 2007 4:21 p.m.

Correct HTSU, although diversity of some kind has been mandated by the Feds...and eventually we all end up having to go along with it. Embrace it! (kidding)

Sthrnldy, unless your folks could afford to send you to private/parochial, your basic education was likely paid by a lot of people without kids. Otherwise your folks would have been hammered with double the taxes they actually paid. The "I dont have kids in school" argument doesn't wash.

SteamTrain
August 21, 2007 4:18 p.m.