Even Mr. Huizenga's son was placed on a waiting list. At that capacity, according to Mr. Ruppert, the schools turn a profit. Capital for buildings is National Heritage's biggest hurdle. Unlike traditional public schools, charter schools can't issue municipal bonds. National Heritage saves money by forgoing buses and cafeterias.
Parents chauffeur children, who eat at their desks.
Despite parental pressure, National Heritage has not opened a high school, which would be more expensive than elementary school. The schools have seven-hour days, longer than most public schools. Over the past two years, they have generally surpassed Grand Rapids public schools on the statewide assessment test, but have mixed results vs. the rest of the state. National Heritage policy is to treat both evolution and the Biblical creation story as theories. Some parents protested that fossil evidence of dinosaurs, which became extinct 65 million years ago, contradicted their Biblical belief that God created the world 6,000 years ago.