Because of the negative reputation of Baltimore City Public Schools it's become a cliché for residents who can't afford private schools to flee to the suburbs once their children are old enough to go to school.

But city leaders and nonprofits are trying to show North Baltimore residents that there are strong public schools in their neighborhoods.

The Greater Homewood Community Corporation has launched a program at Margaret Brent Elementary School and Barclay School to attract more students in the Charles Village area.

Through a grant from the Goldseker Foundation, GHCC has provided the schools with $35,000 each, and are coordinating with them to help them market themselves better in their respective communities.  

Karen DeCamp, director of Neighborhood Programs at Greater Homewood, said the idea is to show families living in stable urban neighborhoods that area schools are solid, too.

Letting people know about good public schools has increased because of the economy, DeCamp said.  She said with the down economy people can't sell their house and move to the suburbs as easily or afford private schools.

She also credited reforms under Andres Alonso, chief executive officer of the Baltimore City Public Schools, for helping improve the school systems' reputation.   

"People are hungry for a good public school," she said.

She argued that beyond the economic necessity many residents love their urban neighborhoods and don't want to leave, and letting them know there are good schools in the area will help them stay and continue being part of a strong urban neighborhood.

City Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke, District 14, is the head of the Baltimore City Council's Education Committee and a staunch supporter of getting more people to send their kids to neighborhood schools.

"If your children are in the local school you have a vested interest in that. The more community people that are involved in that way the better that school is going to be," she said.  

Clarke said she believes that residents can be convinced to send their kids to public schools despite a negative reputation that the school system has gained through the years.

"We're not asking people to experiment with their children … because we have now some excellent schools in North Baltimore for our children of all ages to attend," Clarke said.

Roland Park Elementary School has been successful at getting neighborhood parents to chose it over the three private schools surrounding it, and the community increasing involvement has only made the school stronger.

But other elementary schools provide similar quality, yet parents do not have first hand knowledge of what those schools are like.

"You have to overcome that because once [a parent] is inside it's a whole different thing," Clarke said.

Clarke also acknowledged that race and socioeconomics play a role in getting residents in North Baltimore, which is one of the city's largest white enclaves, to send their children to schools where student populations are majority black.

"That's always been a factor. It's an unspoken factor but it's real. Again once you're inside and your kids are part of a school it works … we all want, first of all, successful schools, well-managed schools, schools where you can be with a diversity of people from all over. That's part of the education," Clarke said.

Calls to the Baltimore City Public Schools for comment on this story were not returned.