Oostburg Christian School
A conversation at Oostburg Christian School offered a closer look at the relationship between public and private education in one community. Christian heard how school leaders think about growth, school choice, special education, teacher retention, and accountability, while also seeing how Oostburg Christian works alongside Oostburg Public Schools. The visit added a local perspective to the larger education questions Christian is continuing to explore.
Different schools, one community
Education doesn't stop at public and private boundaries. Families, students, schools, and communities are connected.
Recently, I had the opportunity to tour Oostburg Christian School and spend time with its leadership. OCS is a growing pre-K through 8th grade private Christian school serving approximately 319 students from Oostburg, Cedar Grove-Belgium, Port Washington, Sheboygan Falls, Plymouth, and surrounding communities. We talked about school growth, facility needs, school choice, special education, teacher recruitment and retention, accountability, and classroom culture.
But one of the most encouraging parts of the conversation had less to do with whether a school is public or private. It was the relationship between them. OCS leadership described a positive working relationship with Oostburg Public Schools, built around communication, cooperation, and mutual respect. That stood out to me.
Education isn't just a public school issue or a private school issue. It's a community issue.
What I Learned
Families are making individual choices.
OCS leadership described significant enrollment growth, from approximately 220 students in 2021 to about 319 students today. According to school leadership, much of that growth has come through word of mouth. Families choose schools for different reasons. Understanding those choices is part of understanding the education system as it actually exists in our communities.
Growth creates practical questions.
The school's growth brings questions about facilities, staffing, capacity, and the resources needed to serve students well.
School choice is more than a talking point.
The conversation made clear that school choice has practical effects for families, private schools, and public school districts. Those effects deserve to be understood rather than reduced to slogans.
Public and private schools are part of the same community.
The relationship between OCS and Oostburg Public Schools was a useful reminder that different parts of an education system can share students, families, services, and community relationships.
Teachers need time and trust.
We also discussed teacher recruitment and retention, including the importance of teacher autonomy, time, and a strong sense of mission.
Listening, learning, and showing up
This conversation reinforced the importance of understanding the people and institutions that actually have to make a system work.
Different schools can have different missions, funding structures, and approaches while still being part of the same community. That makes cooperation and communication important, especially when the issues involve students and families who move between different parts of the education system.
Start with the people and institutions that actually have to make the system work.
Continuing the conversation
These conversations are part of an ongoing effort to better understand the people, institutions, and communities that make up District 9. Christian will keep listening, asking questions, and learning from the people who live and work here.
Thank you to the leadership at Oostburg Christian School for the tour, the conversation, and the opportunity to learn more about the school's role in the community.
