Teacher Explains How State Funding Would Help Private Schools - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

Last week a debate in the legislature on whether the state should help fund private education, failed.

During the debate, Representative Diane Larson told a story about how a private school was the right fit for her daughter, and today her daughter is teaching art at Shiloh Christian School in Bismarck.

Tonight, we introduce you to Becky Strut, and find out why she volunteers her time, to teach Shiloh elementary students, art.

<<Becky Strut attended Shiloh Elementary School when she was a child, but later moved to a public school because at that time, Shiloh didn't have an art program for students.

Today she's back at Shiloh, not learning, but teaching.

"There was a need and so I kind of stepped in to fill it and as the years have continued, it's grown and we've put more of an emphasis on the arts," Becky Strut said.

Strut says there's many advantages for students who attend private schools, especially those who need more one on one attention.

"Also just the smaller class sizes, sometimes just the bigger school of kids being overwhelmed," Strut said.

Even though the debate failed last week, Strut says providing state funding to private schools would help both students and staff.

"Right now the only way we do teacher pay raises is with tuition increases and so funding for a private school helps take some of the edge off of that load of the family, so that not just the wealthy families can afford it," Strut said.

If more students were able to afford to attend private school, it also could help with the public school's enrollment.

"Where we are in our state right now, providing some of that funding to a private school actually helps more of the load be taken off the weight off of the public school as far as enrollment increases," Strut said.

Plus Strut says private schools can offer something public schools don't.

"For us as a family right now that Christ Centered education is very important to us," Strut said.>>

Strut has been volunteering at Shiloh for about six years, and says it's been a blessing to give back to the school.