Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 6, 1993 TAG: 9301060005
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: LITTLE ROCK, ARK. LENGTH: Medium
CLINTONS SENDING DAUGHTER TO EXCLUSIVE, PRIVATE SCHOOL
President-elect Clinton will send his 12-year-old daughter to one of Washington's most exclusive private schools rather than enroll her in the city's ailing public school system, officials said Tuesday.Chelsea Clinton, who attends public school in Little Rock, will be an eighth-grader at Sidwell Friends School, favored by the families of diplomats, members of Congress and other prominent Washingtonians.
Clinton and his wife, Hillary, said they made the decision "after many family discussions and careful consideration. As parents, we believe this decision is best for our daughter at this time in her life based on our changing circumstances."
The tuition at Sidwell Friends is $10,800 a year, said Clinton spokesman George Stephanopoulos.
The decision was a disappointment to leaders of the city's predominantly black public schools, which have been plagued by violence, poor test scores and budget problems.
District of Columbia officials had hoped Chelsea would be enrolled in a public school, which they would have seen as a signal of confidence in urban education at a time when middle- and upper-class families are seeking alternatives.
Washington Mayor Sharon Pratt Kelly said she understood.
In a written statement, Kelly said, "Although I believe the District of Columbia's public school system is equally challenging, as a mother I understand the family's decision to act in the best interests of their child."
The 2.1 million-member National Education Association, which supported Clinton's campaign, said security factors were among those that Clinton had to consider.
Predominantly white, Sidwell Friends' enrollment is 17 percent black, 7 percent Asian and 3 percent Latino.