HOMESCHOOL MOM NAMED TO HEAD SOUTH CAROLINA STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION: She Never Sent Her Children to Public School!
CONTACT: To schedule an interview, call Special Guests, 630-848-0750, Lynne Campbell, Shauna Whitlock. Television inquires: Jerry McGlothlin, 212-699-2518.
The South Carolina Board of Education, by a vote of 9 to 7, has just elected as its new head a woman who has never sent her children to public school! (See South Carolina News 7 article below.)
Instead, 39-year-young Kristin Maguire of Clemson, South Carolina, chose to homeschool her four daughters.
Maguire has been a member of the board for eight years and has won admirers for her dedication and hard work. Board member Rick Adkins, who represents Anderson and Oconee counties, says she's the most- prepared member for board meetings.
"She knows the education system, public education system, backwards and forwards so I had absolutely no problem supporting her. She's absolutely the best person for the job," said Adkins.
Even South Carolina state superintendent Jim Rex said he had no pro blem with the election of Kristin Maguire, even though Maguire had publicly supported Karen Floyd, Rex's opponent for superintendent.
"She's been positive. She's been engaged. So I don't anticipate any changes," said Superintendent Rex.
HSLDA spokesman Ian Slatter said, “Homeschoolers can contribute to any part of society. We're growing in numbers and will seek opportunities to serve.”
Conducting Talk Show interviews on this amazing topic is a spokesman from Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), the largest homeschooling organization in the United States. (See list of spokesman below.)
During your interview, your audience will be amazed at just how easy it is to give a high quality education to their children—at a fraction of the cost of private schools.
What’s more, Homeschooled children consistently score well on standardized achievement tests. The most comprehensive study shows a 20 - 30 percentile point gap in favor of home schoolers. For example if the public school average is the 50th percentile a homeschooler will on average be in the 70th or 80th percentile.
Homeschooling is the fastest growing education sector in America, growing at a rate of 7 to 15 percent per year.
Currently there are an estimated two million homeschooled children in the U.S., which is almost 4 percent of the school age population.
Some of the Reasons people homeschool:
1. Safety of their children in public school, crime, drugs, and negative peer socialization. 2. The ability to teach from a religious perspective. 3. The belief that parents, in conjunction with a homeschool support group, can provide a better education than either a public or private school. 4. Desire to spend more time together as family for better quality of family life.
Homeschool graduates are more involved in community activities than the average public school student.
Homeschool graduates are s ignificantly more politically active than the average public school student. Over 74 percent of homeschooled graduates aged 18-24 voted in an election in the past 5 years. Compare this to a token 29 percent of public schooled graduates who voted during that same time period.
Homeschooled students consistently win national geographic and spelling bee contests.
NEWS CHANNEL 7 SOUTH CAROLINA Home-schooler to Lead State Board of Education Kristin Maguire of Clemson has never sent her four daughters to public school
Wednesday, Dec 12, 2007 By Robert Kittle
The South Carolina Board of Education, which is responsible for public elementary and secondary schools, elected Wednesday as its new leader a woman who has never sent her children to public school. Kristin Maguire of Clemson home-schools her four daughters.
She was elected to chair the board after members rejected Trip DuBard of Florence by a vote of 9 to 7. DuBard was the selection of the board's nominating committee. After his defeat, Maguire was elected by voice vote.
"It is what it is," DuBard said after the vote. "I'm going to keep working for South Carolina schools. I think I would've done a good job."
Board member Diane Sumpter, who represents the Columbia area, said Maguire's election was a sad day for the board. "Certainly I support home-schooling, but not as the face of the State Department of Education or the chair of the board," she said.
But Maguire has been a member of the board for eight years and has won admirers for her dedication and hard work. Board member Rick Adkins, who represents Anderson and Oconee counties, says she's the most-prepared member for board meetings.
"She knows the education system, public education system, backwards and forwards so I had absolutely no problem supporting her. She's absolutely the best person for the job," he said.
Even state superintendent Jim Rex said he had no problem with the election, even though Maguire had publicly supported Karen Floyd, Rex's opponent for superintendent.
"She's been positive. She's been engaged. So I don't anticipate any changes," he said.
Maguire says she can understand why people might have a knee-jerk reaction to her election and think it's wrong, but asks people to give her a chance.
"We have board members that haven't ever had children. We have board members who haven't had children in schools. And, you know, to say that they're disqualified from being part of the process or that they don't have the dedication or concern for all public students, it's an, I think an insult to the Board," she says.
She also points out that she is a product of public schools, has an engineering degree from Clemson and her mother was a classroom teacher.
She'll serve as chair-elect of the board starting January 1, 2008, then take over as chair on January 1, 2009.
She says he r number one focus as chair will be policies and programs to ensure that all third-graders know how to read.
Copyright 2007 Media General Inc. All Rights Reserved
http://www.wspa.com/midatlantic/spa/news.apx.-content-articles- SPA-2007-12-12-0014.html
HSLDA EXPERT SPEAKERS AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS:
The following guest experts are available to discuss home schooling and various education issues in the news. Each speaker’s geographic region is listed below.
About Dewitt T. Black III, Esq.
Speaker for interviews from: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Mississippi, Montana, No. Carolina, No.Dakota, Pennsylvania, So. Carolina, Tennessee.
Dee Black received his Juris Doctorate degree in 1973 from Memphis State University School of Law and his Master of Laws degree from Georgetown Univ ersity Law Center in 1979.
Mr. Black has been practicing law for 32 years and is licensed to practice in his native state of Arkansas, in addition to the District of Columbia and South Carolina where he was in private practice for 11 years just prior to joining Home School Legal Defense Association. As Senior Counsel at HSLDA for the past 15 years,
Dee and his wife, Ricci, have four children, all of whom have been taught at home.
About Christopher J. Klicka, Esq…
Spokesman for national shows and as a substitute speaker for states where the official designated spokesman is unavailable.
Christopher J. Klicka is Senior Counsel of the Home School Legal Defense Association as well as Director of State and International Relations.
Chris earned his B.A. from Grove City College in Grove City, Pennsylvania, and his Juris Doctorate from O.W. Coburn School of Law, Tulsa, Oklahoma. He is a member of the bars of the Virginia Supreme Court, the United States Supreme Court, the Fourth Circuit District of Appeals, and the U.S. District Court of Virginia (Eastern Division).
Since 1985, he has represented thousands of HSLDA member families with their legal conflicts both inside and outside of the courts. He has provided expert testimony before numerous legislative and regulatory bodies on behalf of home schoolers.
A frequent speaker, Chris has addressed home school conferences throughout the country and is often interviewed by the media. He is also author of several books including The Right Choice: The Incredible Failure of Public Education and the Rising Hope of Home Schooling, Home Schooling in the United States: A Legal Analysis, and The Right to Home School: A Guide to the Law on Parents’ Rights in Education.
Chris and his wife Tracy are home schooling their seven children, including a set of twins (Bethany, Megan, Jesse, Susannah, Charity, Amy, and John).
About Thomas “T.J.” Schmi dt. For interviews from Arizona, Hawaii, Kentucky, Louisiana, New York, Oregon, and Washington State.
Thomas J. (Tj) Schmidt is the eldest of nine children and was home educated for nine years, much of that time spent on foreign mission fields.
Tj received his J.D. from Oak Brook College of Law while serving as a Legal Assistant at HSLDA. Now, as an HSLDA Staff Attorney, Tj answers general legal questions and assists members experiencing legal difficulties.
Tj and his wife, Susan, have two children, Josiah and Suzanna. They look forward to teaching all of their children at home.
About Michael Smith, Esq. Spokesman for interviews in California and Puerto Rico.
J. Michael Smith is the President of Home School Legal Defense Association, an organization which he cofounded with Michael Farris in 1983 to protect the right of parents who choose home education as their way to satisfy the compulsory attendance law in the various states an d Canada. Home School Legal Defense Association now represents over 54,000 member families.
Michael Smith is an attorney licensed to practice in the states of California, the District of Columbia and Virginia. Mike received his undergraduate degree from the University of Arkansas and his Juris Doctorate from the University of San Diego.
After serving two years as a Deputy City Attorney assigned to the Criminal Division in San Diego, he went into private practice but after he and his wife, Elizabeth, decided to home school their children, Mike became involved in defending the rights of home schoolers in California. It became glaringly apparent that home educators could not afford attorneys, and as a result, Home School Legal Defense Association was established to defend and advance the constitutional rights of parents to direct the education of their children and protect family freedom.
He and his wife have four children. Their oldest daughter, Kari, i s a paralegal in San Francisco. Their next daughter, Chrissy, was their first homeschool graduate and is a graduate of UCLA. Their two youngest children, Andrew and Erin, were also homeschooled and graduated from George Mason University. Mike has a simple purpose and message for his life work: Faith, family, and freedom.
About Scott W. Somerville, Esq. Spokesman for Talk Show interviews from Washington, DC, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Ohio, Utah, Vermont, and Wyoming.
Scott Somerville is Executive Director of the Center for the Original Intent of the Constitution, and brief writer for the litigation team at the Home School Legal Defense Association, where he has worked as an attorney since 1992. He entered Harvard Law School in 1989, and graduated with honors in 1992.
Scott graduated from Dartmouth College in 1979 as a Phi Beta Kappa, where he met and married Marcia Lawrence Somerville (Dartmouth, 1980). Before Harvard, Scott work ed as a computer programmer. He and Marcia have home schooled all six of their children, with two now in college.
Scott handles special projects for HSLDA’s President, writes briefs for many cases, and directs the Center for Original Intent. When Scott isn’t writing briefs, he’s writing action adventures for kids like his first novel, Olympus.
About Scott A. Woodruff, Esq.
Spokesman for Talk Show interviews from Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and West Virginia.
Scott A. Woodruff has been a staff attorney for Home School Legal Defense Association since 1998. He has defended thousands of homeschool families when their rights were threatened by social workers, school superintendents, state departments of education, law enforcement officials and others. He is currently responsible for helping HSLDA members with homeschool legal issues in 13 states.
He has testif ied on behalf of HSLDA members at hearings before legislative committees in nine states. His articles have been published in the Peabody Journal of Education and the Washington Times and he has been a guest on numerous radio shows.
After finishing law school at the University of Virginia in 1980, he worked for three years under John Ashcroft, then the Missouri Attorney General, and later U.S. Attorney General. He is a member of the bar of the United States Supreme Court.
He and his wife of 22 years, Jane, live in Lincoln, Virginia. Their son, who was homeschooled, is attending Baylor University on an academic scholarship. They continue to homeschool their two daughters.
Michael P. Donnelly, Esq. Speaker for international and U.S. interviews on the German Homeschooled girl taken from her family.
Mike Donnelly gain national prominence conducting Talk Shows on the topic of the German Home Schooled girl who was taken away from her family for psych iatric evaluations for alleged “school phobia.” Mike valiantly exposed the dark deeds overseas to the light of international scrutiny.
Mike Donnelly joined Home School Legal Defense Association after nearly 10 years of corporate and private legal practice. Before his legal career, Mike served in the United States Army including combat service as a cavalry officer in the first Persian Gulf war. Mike attended law school at Boston University where he graduated with honors and was recognized for being in the top 10 in his class. Mike is a member of the New Hampshire and Massachusetts Bar Associations.
Previous experience for Mike includes founding a top-30 Internet marketing and advertising firm where he served as chief operating officer and general counsel followed by a private business consulting and law practice.
Serving on the board of CheNH (Christian Home Educators of New Hampshire) and the Marketplace Network, Mike is able to help Christian workers integrate their faith and work. CheNH is a Boston- based ministry.
Mike resides with his wife Patty and five children in Charles Town, West Virginia where they homeschool all five of their children.
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