Private students going public: Public school districts seeing more transfers

[ccharles000]

The cost of a private education is becoming too much for some families to bear in this economy, so they're increasingly turning to public schools.

Some Hampton Roads parents are opting to enroll their children in local public schools rather than pay thousands in tuition to keep them in private ones.

Many local school systems are watching their enrollment numbers rise — some are even exceeding their projections — as more private and home-schooled students transfer into their districts, leaving officials wondering how to better serve the extra pupils.

The York County School Division has had 10 to 15 former private school students transfer into the district through its open enrollment program, said Royce Hart, associate director for school operations. The program allows children living outside York County to pay tuition to attend district schools with adequate space. Tuition is $4,640 a year, and the district currently has 51 students enrolled in the program, Hart said.

"Some parents are paying $11,000 to $14,000 a year to send their children to private schools, and paying tuition to send their children to our school is less expensive," Hart said. "While economics plays a part in some transfers, other families transfer their students into the district for socialization reasons."

http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-local_privateschools_1017oct17,0,4930412.story

[seabeyond]

1. i simply found academics much higher in public than the privates offered in our area

i saw no reason to pay for education twice, when the public schools way out performed the private schools academically.

get the kids in advanced course, and their education will be complete.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

2. That is rare, more so these days

[seabeyond]

3. that is what people are saying, but i wonder if they actually know what they are talking about

i listen to a lot of people on du bash the public schools and i cannot believe that i (my children) are so lucky and blessed that they are offered the opportunity of education and people across the nation are not. i cannot believe little ole Amarillo texas kicks ass and the rest of the nation fails. i do hear those in this area bitch about the academics. they are also the people that do not have education as a priority. as in, they do not put in the time as a parent to ensure the child takes advantage of the opportunity given. their priority, their time is invested elsewhere and then gripe cause their child is not all he can be

i dont look at that as an academic failure, i look at it as a parenting failure.

maybe that is where the difference or "rarity" exists. not in the exceptional education my kids get or the lack across the nation.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

7. There may be some locality pertubations

But when you can remove or reject students, the norm is higher performance. Exceptions do exist.

In Hawaii, where both the President and I grew up, the private schools were significantly ahead of the public schools and the gap has grown.

[seabeyond]

8. i guess i would want to see the advanced class compared to the private as opposed to the

general education offered the less serious student. to see if it challenges your statement.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

9. In Hawaii its a slam dunk for the private schools

Check out Obama's alma mater, www.punahou.edu

[madfloridian]

12. Obama and Arne are defunding public schools....

and then saying they are failing.

A public school can not function under those circumstances.

They are privatizing public schools with public taxpayer money, and they are tearing down teachers and teachers' unions...ridiculing them.

Shame on the Democrats for being the ones to end public education.

[JonQ]

15. Well their kids aren't going to public schools

why should they care?

I would really like to see a break down of how many politicians with children actually send their kids to public. And how many presidents since the public school system began actually used it.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

28. Neither did Obama

[kestrel91316]

17. Funding for public schools is local. Obama has nothing to do with it.

Try again.

[madfloridian]

18. Then you are not aware of the goals of Arne Duncan.

I think you need to do some research.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

20. The issues with public education are not just about funding

[madfloridian]

21. Public education has been systematically destroyed by both parties...

so corporations could slowly take over. It started under Ronald Reagan in the 80s and it continues under the Democratic party.

Public education is an annoyance to the conservative Republicans and Democrats when they think of all the profits to be made with taxpayer money.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

24. While I agree it has gone down hill, you seem to be claiming there is a conspiracy

of some sort, which I do not see as existing.

Clearly the public schools are not living up to expectations. There are a myriad of reasons for that with variations between localities as well. Increased funding will not address all of them, probably not even most of them. The roots of the problems are social and outside the school house door. Until those are addressed, the public schools will continue to under perform and the calls for charter schools and vouchers will continue to grow. Any reform or rethinking of education that does not take that into account is doomed to failure at some level.

I don't think anyone openly wants the public schools to fail but due to the long terms problems, many people are looking for alternatives to the current system. Unfortunately no one in public leadership wants to address the root causes of many of the problems (social issues outside of the schools), so our current direction is focused on blaming the schools. I don't see that changing any time soon, since to do otherwise would mean admitting failure on a much broader range. I don't think it is an organized conspiracy, but more a long term unwillingness to do what is needed to make things right.

[madfloridian]

25. It is a plan. A real plan. A plan to give business a piece of the education pie.

I hate to see something called a conspiracy when it is indeed really happening.

It's a plan and we are not caring enough to fight back for our public schools. Both parties are the same on the issue of giving corporations access to education. I highly suspect a religious component to all this, but that is not easily proved.

We are not fighting back.

Up to 250 public schools to be turned over to outside bidders? Called a hostile takeover.
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/5015

Are the words "school choice" public code words for the movement to privatize public education?
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/5000

Bush's policies ARE the policies being put forth under Democrats now.
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/5016

Arne Duncan sets up confrontation with teachers' unions over more testing.
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/4540

Charter schools in TX receive $19 million from state, red flags raised in audit.
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/4963

Charter school director blames too-hard tests and pupils tired of test-taking for poor test scores.
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/4932

GA state rep..we have sat here and "tolerated austerity cuts" to our local school systems
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/4913

More about the lack of accountability....Florida vouchers and charters
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/4906

The hodge-podge nature of schools getting public money makes it hard to have funding accountability.
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/4879

Herbert Kohl on scripted curriculum, surveillance of teachers, and TIME on Arne's 5 billion
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/4833

Florida county may receive 100 million from the Gates Foundation for merit pay for teachers.
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/4804

1997 Mother Jones: DLC wanted Medicare, Social Security, education "in the new marketplace."
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/4710

Alfie Kohn's 2004 article.."Test today, Privatize tomorrow"..coming to fruition with Arne Duncan.
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/4575

[aikoaiko]

16. I'm ok with the teachers in district, but worry about some of the kids.

My paper did an article about suspension rates and almost 1/3 of sixth graders had been suspended the year before. That's a lot of problem behavior. Its a little frightening sending my boy into that kind of environment.

[seabeyond]

26. i hear ya. and this is where i am havong the real issue. pointing finger at school

when the issue is not about the school. the issue is the home environment.

i have done private, low income public, high income public and now diverse low income high school (public). peer pressure can be withstood. the education is there. and the child decides what group to hang with which will in essence decide the path the kid takes.

as parents we are not without control.

my oldest is slim, had glasses and articulate and academic. i was very concerned for him. but he also put himself in sports, doing cross country and that has allowed a cushion for him. i started him in private cause of the bullying factor. this christian private had more bullies than any public he ahs gone to.

[AngryAmish]

27. You are in luck. In Chicago the public schools are sewers.

Maybe you have seen the handiwork recently...Nobody cares about the students. It is sick.

[donco6]

4. This happens every year here with charter schools.

Colorado has a "Count Period" which determines our funding for the year. As soon as the kids are counted and included in a charter's funding, they "counsel them out" and they land back on our doorstep, sans funding.

Grrr . . .

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. Same thing happens here

I share your grrr. :hi:

[madfloridian]

10. Yes, in many cases the "charters" keep the pupil funding...and the public schools suffer.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

6. If this continues, it is really going to stress the public schools even further in several areas

Private schools effectively subsidizes public schools which get the tax revenue but not the student. Then there is the increased level of expectation that goes with them. Finally, there may be a educational disparity. Public schools are often ill equipped in the upper grades to deal with students who are ahead of their grade academically.

We had a very hard time when we returned to the US and tried to get our kids into the public school system. They were both well ahead of grade level, local school tried to force us into their norms. Bad fit at best. Ended up with a 16yo senior and a 14yo junior. They both wanted the HS experience including football games and prom. In retrospect, the right answer would have been community college and then on to a four year school.

[madfloridian]

14. You have a very low opinion of public schools. That's a shame.

Most areas have IB schools in the public system until they take the money and give it to charters and to vouchers for private schools. International Baccalaureate schools are high level college course schools.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

19. I teach college...it goes with the job

Most high school graduates, even those in the college prep track or IB programs, are ill prepared for college level work, and it has clearly gotten worse over the last 10-15 years. Taken as a whole, students from private schools seem to be better prepared than those from public schools, but its far from uniform. There are certainly other factors and exceptions, but the differences seem clear at a macro level.

Private schools are selective, they get to cream skim both students and parents. They don't have to take anyone who shows up. Add involved parents and better educational results are to be expected. Lets go back to Honolulu. There are lots of private schools. The competition for admittance is fierce. The majority of parent there have lost faith in the public schools. UH prof recently published a book on the issue. Article about it is here http://www.starbulletin.com/editorials/20090719_Going_public.html and read the comments as well. Quite telling.

[madfloridian]

23. They have succeeded in destroying public education by defunding...

and by discrediting.

I have taught children sent back to us from the "cream of the crop" schools that get our taxpayer money but don't have to keep the kids if they are not really good students.

I have seen what it does to those kids.

I did not want to live to see the destruction of public schools, but I guess the good Lord willed it.

I despise Arne Duncan and his philosophy with every bit of my heart and soul. I find him arrogant and not very intelligent about education...real education.

[madfloridian]

11. Well, they'd better hurry along cause Arne is tired of public schools...

Goals of this administration in education...testing, more testing, and charter schools.

There are no laws about returning money to the public schools after a child goes to a charter school and takes their money with them.

They are turning public school money over to deregulated charter schools which are often run by private corporations.

[madfloridian]

13. Jeb Bush is lovin him some Obama and Arne charter schools. They were his goal.

Video: Jeb is delighted Obama is taking on teachers' unions

Newt Gingrich loves it, too.

[Davis_X_Machina]

22. Seen it before. The day prep school...

...I worked in 85-89 -- Bush pérè's recession --- went from 410 to 335 students in a year and a half and got me RIF'ed in the pricesss