Public School Budget Cuts. What Should a Parent Do?
Last Tuesday evening, a special PTO meeting was called. A representative from our school district came to speak about next year’s budget. Sadly, only 13 parents, including me, showed up.
I knew the budget situation was bad. In December, they cut this year’s budget the first time. It meant cutting back on buying supplies for the rest of the year. So we’ve been receiving monthly newsletters on pink paper, instead of white. No big deal. The next budget cuts happened in March. I believe 5 days were cut from the school year. Three of them were days students attend school.
Next year is worse. Much worse. Next year’s budget for our school district is expected to fall somewhere between 2.9 million and 4.8 million short of the current year’s initial budget (before the December and March cuts). The district representative gave us a picture of what kind of cuts would have to be made to achieve the worse case budget scenario:
- 47 school days cut OR
- 80-94 Teachers cut OR
- 20% of the eligible budget cut (supplies, etc)
We were told that next year they’re looking at a variety of scenarios, including going to a 4 day school week (but keeping the length of the school year), going to a shorter school day, or going to a shorter school year. Regardless of what happens, our district will be below the 180 days required to meet educational standards.
As a parent, I’m not happy about this, obviously. I take issue with a state government that funds education last instead of first, when they meet to discuss the budget. I take issue with a school district that spent it’s buffer down to 2% of the budget, when the recommended buffer is 5-8% of the budget. They banked on the fact that the 2009-2011 biennium was supposed to be a banner year for the school budget. They were wrong, and now the kids will pay the price.
Most importantly, I’m not happy with the education (or lack thereof) that my children would get next year. I know the teachers would do their best. We’ve had extremely good experiences with all the public school teachers my children have had. They go above and beyond the call of duty to make sure my kids get the education they need.
But there comes a point where I worry that even the most brilliant and dedicated teachers can’t make up for increasing class sizes and decreasing school hours. And I’m not sure I want my children to be guinea pigs in such a dismal school situation.
So that leaves me with a dilemma. I have three choices. I can continue to send my children to public school, praying for the best. It goes without saying that I would be involved in their schools. I already am.
I could homeschool. I’d obviously have to work out a schedule to where I could teach school, keep up the house, and keep up this blog (being as my blog pays some of the bills and helps us pay down debt). Fortunately my husband gets home shortly after lunch and could pitch in, if we went this direction.
We could send our kids to private school, if we can work out the finances. It would be difficult, as it would cost about $800 a month for both kids to go to the local Christian school. Again, I’d be involved in the school. But the amount of money spent on school would take a serious bite out of our debt repayment plans, if we can swing it at all.
After much thought and prayer this week, I know which direction I’m leaning, though no firm decisions have been made. My husband is on the same page. But I’m not going to tell you, because I think hashing out the decision makes for a good discussion. :) I promise to let you know when we’ve made a final decision.
What would you do, if you were me? And if you know a public school teacher, tell them you appreciate them. All schools are going through hard times right now, and it’s especially stressful to be a teacher.
Photo by calculatOr.
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By Lynnae McCoy, on Apr 27, 2009
I'm Lynnae, wife of one and stay-at-home mom of two. I'm committed to getting out of debt by being frugal with my choices in life.
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How can they legally go less than 180 days?
Sounds like it is time to home school . . .
This is FAR from an isolated case. Our schools here have been cutting teachers like crazy — 1st, 2nd, and 3rd year teachers, basically anyone without a solid contract. I’ve even heard that they might be closing some schools down. As a result, class sizes are going to skyrocket. We have a law here against classes over a certain size, but it’s cheaper for the schools to break the law and just pay the fines!
It makes me sad, especially since I studied to become a teacher (though I got out before I even got in). I know what kind of effects this can have on students. This generation will be paying for this recession for their entire lives in more than one way.
$800 a month?!!!!! We homeschool two children for far less than $800 a year, and they are very socialized, happy, extremely well adjusted children who are academically and spiritually far above their peers both in public and private Christian schools in our area.
But you already know how I feel about homeschooling, Lynnae. I’m praying for you as you make this huge decision. Not that you would go the way I prefer, but the way the Lord wants you to decide.
Julieanne
http://www.joyinourjourney.com/
I’d opt for the 20% cut. Keep the people, lose the paper and pencils and such. Yes, materials are VERY important, but time in the classroom with a teacher is more important to me. With the materials the district already owns — books, chalk/white boards, lab materials — educating students can continue. The district needs to be frugal, not crazy!
Wow. That’s shocking. I can’t even wrap my brain around a 4-day school week.
I would do a hybrid approach; I’d keep them in the public school, but I’d also set aside some formal time for additional “home school” time to supplement in the afternoon. That takes some of the pressure off of you (both in terms of the teaching and the whole earning-a-living thing), and still allows you to ensure that they’re learning what they need to learn. It also reduces the shock to their system; going from public school to home school is a HUGE transition.
Good luck. That’s a tough decision no matter what.
I’d choose homeschooling too. Given the circumstances, it’s the best financial choice and probably the best educational choice too. You can accomplish more education in less time than in a school setting public or private. Homeschooling is far cheaper than private school too. (It’s also much cheaper than public school, but unfortunately you’ll still be paying those school taxes no matter what.) I work part-time, homeschool, and run a clean and organized household, so I understand the challenges you would face accomplishing those three things simultaneously, but it can be done. You seem just like the sort of motivated, organized person who would manage it all very nicely. There is lots of support out there for homeschooling families now. We don’t regret the decision we made to begin homeschooling eight years ago, and I don’t think you will either.
I would send them to public school and teach them after school. I’ve always done this and it has worked out very well. I’m a single mom, have been for years, work full time and have two children. My son will be a math teacher in the fall and my daughter is 13.
I honestly don’t believe in private schooling. I have worked in the private sector for over 30 years and people who are publically schooled seem to play much better than others. I’m sorry, and people will disagree with me and that’s fine, but that’s been my observation.
@DDFD – Legally they can go below 180 days for 1 year. More than that, and the district is in big trouble. Which makes you wonder how they’re going to handle the 2010-2011 school year, since the budget is generally set 2 years at a time…
I’m loving the comments! Keep ‘em coming!
When we moved to Colorado, we initially had put our kids in public school. They had been in public school before. In the time they were in public school here, I watched my kids tests scores decrease, my younger child start to cry over having to go to the ‘reading program’ they have here (there are many non-English speaking here), and my 4th grade daughter in the gifted and talented program brought home a math sheet that included ’1+0′. My kids were at the time adamantly opposed to home schooling (although I have worked on them understanding it better now and they have changed their minds) and I work part-time, so we looked at the local private Christian schools. We are now finishing up the second year there and all I can say is “WOW, what a difference!”. My kids both say that they never want to go back to public school again. Please note that we had never even considered private school before the issues here, so we are not in any way private school snobs. It wasn’t even anything we had ever considered. My kids say that if they can’t do private school, they would rather homeschool. Please note too, that a decision like this certainly isn’t one we would leave up to our kids, but I’m just repeating what they have said. This is just our experience. Even the much better public school we were in before wasn’t as good as the one they are in now.
I like the idea of the first commenter’s ‘hybrid’ approach, but in reality, I know that I’m not patient enough to be my children’s teacher. Private school would be our decision, even if we had to take on debt. What a shame that you have to make this decision.
Unbelievable. Looks like we’re definitely turning back to more simple times, like it or not. I have been wanting to homeschool for years now and would if it wasn’t for dear husband’s views on this. I’m wondering if that’s the route you’ll be going.
I know I don’t have any children… so my opinion on this is a little limited… but my mom had a similar dilemma with me when I was in school (first through 3rd grades). She chose to home school me during that time and I’m convinced that is why I was always well ahead in reading and writing (I scored perfect on my GRE’s in the writing area for grad school + I publish academic articles now). She knew her limits though, and during that time of homeschooling she knew I’d eventually need to go back to a regular school environment. So during that time I was homeschooled she saved for the private school I eventually went to for 3rd + grade. Back then (not sure how it is now) a child had to take tests to get into private school- and I outscored all of the other traditional students.
So I say do homeschool- not forever- but maybe for a year or two… and take it as an opportunity to have your children exceed other students in their grade levels! Good luck!
Geeeeessshhhh. What a position to be put in.
We pulled our oldest out of public school and finished him up at home. His highschool was on-line with lots of grading by me also. Worked wonderful for us. I wanted to put him in private school — but it could not be pulled off on our income.
Second child homeschooled for a year and wanted back in public…where she has stayed and flourished.
I’m all for whatever works for your family dynamics. And it doesn’t have to be across the board. One kid can be doing one while another is doing something different. And even better….you can change your mind if its not working out. It’s not a lock solid decision that you can’t change (although there are steps that usually have to be taken first).
Good luck. I hope you figure out the best solution for your family and transition well.
Your school district would not be allowed to go to less than 180 days; to do so they would be in violation of the law. Nor can they shorten it to less than a certain length depending on your state’s requirements. If your district cannot fix the budget by other means, then your state would take over the district.
I think I would have to go the homeschooling route. I’ve actually been seriously considering this myself for my children. I have a 5 year old that will be starting kindergarten in the fall and our schools here don’t have very good educational ratings. We do have Christian schools here but I just don’t think I can stomach paying out that kind of money for tuition. I hope all goes well with whichever route you choose to take.
This is our situation as well. We live in a school district where we have excellent, well paid teachers (who on average make more than the median income in our suburb) but the schools themselves are crumbling around them. My oldest will go to a middle school next year that has duct tape holding the ceiling together, faulty wiring which caused a power outage for a week, and crumbling brick hallways. Our suburb has voted 3 times NOT to build a new school or fund repairs.
It’s very sad. The only Christian school is in a wealthy area 5 miles from our home and is $600 per month per child – we have 3. I want to homeschool but DH is dead set against it as I would have to quit work.
I wish Obama would spend some of that TARP money putting the out of work home builders to work building schools.
I am a single mother, sole provider. I work full time and homeschool. If you want to do it badly enough it is possible and wonderful. We are involved in sooo many things and I think my daughter is the one who is winning with this deal. My daughter was in a private Christian school from Pre-K through 3rd when I pulled her out. The money was a minor factor in the decision, but socially it was not the entitlement mentality that I wanted her socialized. You can do it!
I see some of the other commenters have already picked up on the hybrid approach I would suggest and pretty much did with my daughter.
It would be difficult, even when budgets are not so tight, to find any one school that 100 percent fits all of your child’s or your family’s educational needs and interests. So what you need to do is find the school that is the best fit from the choices that are practical and available to you, and make up for what it’s missing.
You can do this through activities like 4-H, scouts, community theater, community orchestra, summer camp on science topics, religion class, etc. Even those who homeschool in my area sign their children up for community education foreign language classes and parks and recreation nature shows.
We are facing the same things in Missouri.
As for homeschooling, I think you would be surprised. (We tried it when my daughter was younger). Since you work from home, you may find your time seriously undermined. You have to plan lessons and correct homework, field trips, lunch, etc… Plus, there is the factor of regulations from the state on what you should teach them for the year, and books you must buy to teach them from. I went to school for elem. ed. and it still didn’t prepare me for teaching my own child successfully. If you think about this option, you may want to “trial” teach over the summer and see how it goes.
As for the private school, perhaps you could get a part time job at the school to help defray costs. Even a lunch lady or playground assistant. Plus, you would get the “multi child discount”.
If your children are relatively happy in public school and do not suffer from learning disabilities, I would send them next year and see how it goes, staying closely involved and helping in the classroom as much as possible. You can help your childs teacher find free and cheap ways to get supplies and help them correct papers and etc…
Looking forward to seeing what you decide!
Wow. Ugh. Sorry you have to deal with this, but I think it is going to be a much more common dilemma as time goes on.
My kids have never gone to private school, but have been both homeschooled and gone to public school. I really like the idea the first commenter had of doing both. If that is not an option – I would definitely homeschool. People think homeschooling takes up a whole day like public school does, but in my experience you can accomplish so much more in a shorter period of time.
There are some really exceptional homeschool programs out there as well, that allow you to teach several children the same information on different levels.
Hope God gives you the wisdom to make the best decison for your family.
@boomeyers – I’m fortunate to live in a state where there aren’t a lot of regulations for homeschoolers. I basically have to notify the district of my intent to homeschool and have them tested every few years with standardized tests. If they test above the 15th percentile, we’re good to go. No attendance, no required curriculum (until high school), and I don’t even think all districts require to see copies of the tests!
If I were to homeschool though, I’d probably go with a prepackaged curriculum for the first year, just because the planning aspect overwhelms me. It would be spendy, but not as spendy as private school.
I was going to suggest what several others did – If you like the school, keep them in public school and do supplemental work at home. That’s what we did with our kids when they were in public elementary schools. It wasn’t that the schools were bad, they had excellent ratings and we really liked the elementary schools. Junior high was the breaking point for us. The local Junior high had over 1000 students and one of the teachers even told us on back-to-school night that unless the child was a behavior problem, they may not immediately recognize the name if we called him about their grades or other issues because they taught several hundred students each day. The classrooms were crowded and my sons weren’t the type to speak up if they didn’t understand something, so I worked with them at home. Once they reached high school (an even bigger school), we bit the bullet and sent them to the local Catholic high school. It took a huge bite out of our budget and a lot of juggling to do it, but it was worth every penny. They received an excellent education in smaller classes. Yes, it was a really big financial burden at the time, but we considered it an investment. And that was fine – for us. I would never pass judgment on the decisions that anyone would make regarding their children’s education. Each of us needs to decide what is the best arrangement for our families and how much their budget can tolerate. Just because this worked for my family doesn’t mean it would be the right decision for someone else.
I don’t have kids myself; however, in this situation I’d vote for private school. My issue with home school is the socialization factor. Part of the point to going to school is to have children exposed to a variety of thoughts and styles to broaden their horizons. I realize that sometimes that includes both good and bad, but on the whole, it’s more beneficial to children to have that socialization experience. The other issue I have is that 9 times out of 10, the parents doing the teaching aren’t really qualified to teach. I don’t mean you specifically, Lynnae, I’m just speaking in generalities. I think the child’s education is more important than the parents’ indignation for whatever they’re usually pulling the child out of school for. But, in your case, I see the appeal of pulling them out of public school.
But, since private school is a bit more costly, I understand that it can be a drain on your resources. Have you looked into the possibility of tuition assistance programs? Perhaps there are programs available in your area that would not require you to drain your savings, or place your debt repayment on hold.
Since you’re home anyway, homeschooling is definitely the option I’d choose. It really doesn’t take as much of your time as you’d think. I went to a little Church school that used homeschool curriculum and it was all self-taught. We didn’t have teachers, just a couple monitors to keep us out of trouble.
I’m getting my Ph.D in education right now, and like Meg said, this is a FAR from isolated case.
My sentiment–given that your children have already established set routines in the public school system, transitioning rapidly from pub school to homeschool would be a shock–and too much time would be spend on the ‘adjustment’ phase than on the learning.
Because of this, I would keep the children in public school for the year, and supplement teach at home. This would not only allow the kids to transition into homeschooling, but it would also enable you to get accustomed with various curriculum, learning styles, and the behind-the-scenes work of being a teacher. What would also help this transition time for you would be to partner with your children’s teachers and find out what lessons they’re doing & where they’re headed. You can easily do supplemental readings, assignments, field trips, and other activities to provide more academic opportunities with your children.
During this transition year, you can then focus on the more important decisions–homeschool 100%, public school 100%, private school 100%, or continue a combination approach.
Also, if you’re around a university, don’t hesitate to look into their department/school of education. There are probably going to be lots of BA/MA/Ph.D. students looking for opportunities to work as a tutor or provide curriculum assistance.
And last, but not least–don’t forget prayer. Proverbs 3:6.
Hope that helps! Blessings!
I commented on a post earlier this year about the stimulus package and how it might save my wife’s job as a classroom teacher. It looks as though it might but thing are not certain yet.
I have a question. Aren’t the school districts there getting part of the stimulus package to keep things running for at least two years? What is the status of this in your area?
@Brian – If I’m reading the papers I received at the meeting right, this budget includes the stimulus money. Our schools are largely funded by income taxes, and given our state unemployment rate is 12% at the moment, income taxes are way down. Our county unemployment rate is around 14%, and I’ve heard of one county in the state where the unemployment rate is 20%. Things are bad in Oregon right now.
First I have to say it is beyond sad that so few parents showed up to the meeting. Hopefully if the school holds more budget meetings more parents will show – that’s a huge shame on them.
I personally would keep the kids in public school and supplement at home as the others have mentioned. But then I am biased in that I have seen many kids homeschooled by people who have zero qualifications to do so. Not saying that is always the case by any means, but I do think that there should be more regulations in place (especially as this does vary widely). Private school would also have to be weighed for me. If you can swing it, then you’d have to decide. Then again I have two in day care so I probably could – though hopefully that won’t be the case. Then again the private schools have a wait list or have before according to other parents – sigh.
I understand these times are not good and not isolated events. However, shame on that school district. Why do people like to budget every penny of a best case income? Uh – I don’t and don’t think that they should either, but that’s another topic entirely… Definitely something for you to consider at voting time.
Homeschool! We’ve been doing it for 6 years and love the freedom it gives us! Our kids test above their grade levels every year. They love the freedom to explore what they are interested in.
Sure it has some drawbacks, but once you find a groove that works for your family, it is a wonderful way to live.
I haven’t read all the comments yet, but strongly recommend homeschooling if you can handle it and depending on your state’s requirements (I live in Nevada where we have *total* freedom once we send in our intent to homeschool form)).
Homeschool – definitely. We CAN afford to send our kids to private school – even with me not working – we homeschool instead. Months of curriculum research into private schools ended up in my conclusion that *most* (not all) private schools (other than the ones that cost $15k per year per child) are doing exactly what the public schools are in terms of curriculum with the addition of Bible classes. Additionally, it may take a year or two, but the private schools are going to have the same problems that the public schools are – out of work or underemployed people can’t pay tuition OR taxes. I’d definitely be asking the private school how many students have withdrawn in the last year b/c of $ issues and what will happen if more students are lost in the future.
When you choose private school are paying to have have your child in a group of students who have parents who care. Parental involvement is one of the top indicators of successful educational outcomes, but I for one want actual BETTER QUALITY EDUCATION. Nothing makes that happen like a curriculum tailored for your child.
If you are looking for all in one curricula, check out Sonlight – it is one of the priciest (I’ll spend about $1100 for 2 kids this year), but it is very easy to use and my kids love it.
And you have the time to do this – though I’ll not say it is always fun. I’m taking 2 classes a semester, managing our 7 rental properties, homeschooling, the boys are each playing baseball and we’re active at church. I still have a clean house and the laundry done and I still read at least 1 book for pleasure each week and keep up with about 20 blogs. And what a great opportunity for your husband to be involved in your kids education!
I think homeschooling is an excellent idea. You could involve the children in day to day activities, inside and outside the home as part of the curriculum. You would also have control of the learning environment for them, which is something not even the most hands on parent achieves with public school. There are many resources available online for homeschoolers, also.
We’re holding our breath as my husband, a public school teacher, waits too see where the ax will fall in his district. He’s got a lot of things going for him in terms of classroom numbers and funding, but we’re still anxious. We have a back-up plan where he goes back to school for a two-year program and starts a new career and we live on student loans. Job cuts are supposed to be announced by May 15, and to be honest, I’m a little sick over it,
I can’t tell you what I’d do. I worry about what rising homeschooling numbers do to the funding of classrooms. I’d worry that I wouldn’t be capable of giving them a good education on my own. I worry that the current administration won’t be able to deliver on their promises, and that loyalties will be to corporations and not to citizens, and that schools and teachers, some of the hardest working in the nation, will be what falls through the cracks.
I am a public school teacher (kinder,) and even without such drastic cuts in my district, I am planning to homeschool our children should we ever be blessed with any. Our public school system is just fundamentally broken, and geared towards the “average” child. Even as much as I try to differentiate, and I know that there are teachers who are way better than it than me, I know that is not the norm, nor is it how the system is constructed. Considering that your school is going to be in survival mode instead of instruction mode next year (and possibly past that,) I’d say go the homeschooling route. There are lots of good homeschooling blogs out there, so you wouldn’t be alone in your journey!
Good luck!
As a public school graduate– and graduate of a district that was essentially bankrupt– I would encourage you to keep your kids in public school and teach them after classes.
By watching my school struggle, it instilled in me a desire to change things and to get involved in local politics. I’m a college student now, but I still volunteer at the local public school because I know those kids need it.
There’s a sense of community and exposure to new ideas you get in public school that you simply can’t get at a religious/private school or by homeschooling. Keep your kids at public school, but involve them heavily in extracurriculars and read, read, read to them.
When my younger sister and I began school, we went to the private school connected with our religion. The teaching was so bad, that the next year my parents placed us in public school.
This year, my parents pulled my youngest sister out of public school and placed her back into Christian private school. I can see a clear difference … instead of Molly telling me how bored she is during school, she calls and asks me for help on her homework or tells me about a fun project they’re working on.
In both cases, my parents looked for the best education option (homeschooling wasn’t really an option as both my parents work). If you feel the public school teachers can provide the opportunity for your children to learn, despite budget cuts, keep them there. But if the private school offers better education, that $800 is a good price to pay.
And of course, whether or not you homeschool your kids, stay involved in their education! (Lynnae, it definitely sounds to me like you do this.) Ask them what they’re learning, help them with their homework if they need it, and always encourage them to ask questions. Especially with science and math.
I’m a special ed parapro (teacher’s assistant) and I saw the schedule for next year. They are cutting 2 minutes between classtimes, saying that five minutes is too much time for the kids to get to class. I wholeheartedly disagree.
I’m currently in school getting my BS in Education/Special Education. I know I’m in for a frustrating career, but like many teachers, I sincerely care about students – especially those where private school or homeschooling isn’t an option.
As far as YOUR decision goes, however, I think any choice you pick – as long as it works for you – would be a good one. My school is knocking around the idea of four day school weeks (year after next), but hesitate due to the fact that there are children in the school system who only eat when they’re in school – making three days, instead of two that these aren’t eating.
Wow! I can’t even believe this! I am currently in school to become an elementary teacher and being an education advocate, this makes me very upset. Teachers can barely get everything in during a normal 5 day week, let alone having to cram a whole extra day’s work into 4 days. NCLB has ruined schools and made them all about learning the core basics (math, reading, and writing) and throwing everything else out the window. If you were to homeschool, I really hope that you’d consider bring back science, health, social studies, etc. into your curriculum. It’s so important for children to get a health education and so many schools do a one day lesson and that’s it…for the whole school year. Ridiculous. But I think you’re right — even the best teachers out there would more than likely have trouble getting everything in. If you choose to keep your children in public school, get really involved with their teacher’s. Stay on track with what they’re learning so you can co-op teach at home to ensure that they’re where they need to be. Volunteering in the teacher’s classroom (if you have the time) could be really beneficial to the teacher and save her/him time. You could maybe create packets, make copies, or anything else that would allow the teacher more time to prepare and teacher lessons.
Although now is not the time to become a teacher (that’s what I keep hearing at least) I’m still empowered to keep on my track to become one. I’ve always wanted to be a teacher and I don’t care if they “don’t make a lot of money” (they do, but they get a few months off with no pay, so it seems like they don’t) because that’s not what I’m going into teaching for. I want to inspire children to learn and become the best that they can be. It really makes me happy to see how concerned you are because there are so many parents out there that don’t care (or have no clue) what’s going on in their child’s school. Congrats to you for taking part in your children’s lives! I hope that I have parents that care as much as you do in my class (at least one every year would be nice). Good luck with your situation and keep us updated! =]
Your family has always sounded a lot like a “homeschooling” family to me, anyway. :) I agree with what some previous comments have said about homeschooling for at least a year or two, and then re-evaluating the situation. As someone who was homeschooled from 3rd grade to graduation, though, I would caution to make sure that the kids are involved in stuff through church and/or sports and/or dance lessons, etc. You don’t want them to be like 18-year-old me and find themselves in a college cafeteria, terrified that someone is going to sit down at their table and talk to them… and even more terrified that nobody will.
In our Oregon county, we are looking at the same problems – only our funding is mostly timber dollars – and with all the holds on logging now, we are not getting our funding, in addition to the state budget.
One school in our county is already on a 4 day week – they had to switch in January. BUT – the total hours of schooling has not been cut. They are on a longer school day to make up the hours for the missing days. The savings is in shutting the school down an extra day, one day less of transportation, and a lot less hours by the non-teaching staff – such as aides, lunchroom, secretaries, janitorial, etc. The teachers seem to still be getting in enough hours by working one Friday morning a month for their planning sessions, thereby getting their full pay. It’s the other staff that gets the day’s pay cut.
You CAN have a 4 day/week school and still get in the required yearly hours for students. I don’t know that that is what is happening in your district.
If the school goes under hours for one year, it is not held against them. It is the 2nd year under hours that makes the school loose accreditation. I went thru this in a school where I used to work – 18 yrs I was in the non-teaching side of schools.
Personally, I’d start them out in school and see how it goes. It might work out just fine. Give them a little extra on the side to challenge them. There are a lot of benefits to the extras that go along with public schooling. There are also a lot of negatives, I would agree also.
If you decide instead to homeschool, look for a group in your area that gets homeschooled kids together for activities once or twice a month or so. Like for field trips, seasonal activities, and art activities, etc. Our county has such a group and it seems to negate some of the loss of social contact associated with homeschooling.
Also – I think you’ll be surprised at how much less time it will take on your part for the kids to receive the same amount of schooling at home. Once you deduct travel, lunch time, recesses, and changing classes, there is a lot of time freed up. And a lot of the reading can be done by the child themselves.
Good luck with whatever your decision is. In this state, it’s bad all over is what I am hearing. My local school district is looking at cutting 55 positions!
I just think it’s good to stop and think about what the children would want. The kids might love their public school, friends, teachers, etc. They are the ones that actually have to go everyday. They might feel lonely or sad to all the sudden be taken away from that environment.
@Marci – Ugh. Sorry your district is so bad, too, though it’s not surprising. I’ve actually heard a lot of good things about 4 day school weeks, when the total hours aren’t cut. Our district is only looking at adding 20 minutes to the elementary school day, though, which means they still lose a lot of school hours. The school year won’t be extended.
The four day week isn’t a certain thing, but they sounded pretty certain that we won’t have enough hours to meet standards this year.
School district (and governmental, though that’s another can of worms) budgeting sickens me.
These so-called crises are really not crises at all, but represent a vast mismanagement and misappropriation of funds on the part of the school districts.
All kinds of ‘pork’ gets written into these ‘budgets’ simply to keep the same amounts of federal or state funds coming in for future years use, and this type of greed adds up to a staggering waste of resources and a total misanagement of funds, funds that could have been redirected to other aspects of the budget (to guard against teachers and beneficial programs for the students getting cut, for instance).
It’s a classic case of the district’s ‘lifestyle’ expanding to fit the ever increasing budgets. (How well does this method of ‘budgeting’ work on a personal scale, I ask?!)
When economic crises occur in school districts, the overall mismanagement of the district funds rarely gets spotlighted (with those responsible getting fired), but instead usually results in focusing on their ‘solutions’ to the problem, which always involve cutting out the very things crucial to that which schools were intended to do…eductating the students.
It is a greedy and lazy method of so-called budgeting often results in districts doing the easiest thing to ‘solve’ their budget crisis…punishing the hardworking teachers (who are severely underpaid professionals considering the import of their jobs and the cost of keeping their credentials current) that limp along with the ebb and flow of the budget decisions, and the students attending the schools suddenly having vital programs cut or being crammed more-kids-per-teacher into classrooms.
Rather than admit to their greed and misappropriation of funds, school districts will always just cut out teachers when the budget falls short, because their salaries represent hundreds of thousands of dollars combined. Which, sadly, usually leads to pressure to ‘edge out’ those veteran teachers who have made numerous sacrifices to continue their educations and better their careers with further schooling and the resultant higher pay, because it’s easier to get two ‘green’ teachers than to pay for the price of the ‘expert’. The overall quality of education in the district often begins to suffer as a result.
We are well-acquainted with this on every level, both as parents to a student in the system and with my husband being a teacher in our local school system.
My husband is a teacher in a district that recently cut dozens of jobs. They’ve tossed around the 4 day school week idea (though their days would be longer to equal the same amount of overall hours) as being a great way to save on utilities and staffing necessary to keep the school running for 5 days a week. They try to say that if the entire district did this, it could be helpful to some parents, as well, as it might eliminate the need for after school child care for an hour or so as the longer school days would eliminate this need for many families.
I’m not buying this. It’s the districts own greed and mismanagement that gets them into such crises (though it’s easy to ‘blame’ it on the economy of the State or Nation), and the only way they’ll ever get out of this vicious cycle is to be better stewards of their funding with good accountability. They should be forced to be 100% transparent in this with the local taxpayers, too.
Taxpayer-led task forces should be permitted to go through campuses with a fine-tooth comb to help in figuring out every single way they can cut back on overhead expenditures.
Many campuses have surplus materials stored away unusued. Many have perfectly usable desks and chairs, for instance, and yet purchase new just to keep using up available funds so that they will continue to keep getting those same enormous amounts of funds the following year. Incredible amounts are spent on updating curriculums, too, when supplemental booklets would be so much cheaper and better for the environment.
Spending unnecessarily to keep using and thus ‘needing’ the higher budget funding for the next fiscal year is what ends up nickel and diming our districts to death, not to mention perpetuating a vicious and costly cycle.
School districts would benefit from having to follow the same ‘tightening of the belt’ techniques that many of us hardworking taxpayers have to follow when times are hard. Maintaining what they have. Cutting out every extranneous expenditure before ‘punishing’ the teachers with pink slips and students with beneficial programs being cut or too-big class sizes. Teachers and programs are to school district budgets what housing and food are to the personal budget…vital and necessary to survival, and henceforth should be a priority in the budget.
Everything from fields kept in grass year round (water-saving measures), appliances and computers left on overnight instead of turned off to avoid ‘vampire drain’ (power-saving measures), and insistence on things like phone logs to help cut down on unnecessary campus phone bills)…every budgetary expenditure should be examined and whittled down to bare-bones, with the priority being on supporting excellence in education and taking good care of what they do have.
You can bet that if school districts weren’t guaranteed such an enormous amount of funding from year to year, and were instead told they’d get a guaranteed amount that was 3/4 or even 1/2 of what they currently had, they would get pretty creative in finding ways to stretch what they do have to make it work, and possibly even find it possible to save for the emergency funds and future growth and quality of education on down the road. The current system is largely broken.
Hmmmm. It’s like living way above your means and never seeming to have enough money for what you need. Go figure.
Have you thought about asking for financial aid at Grace or Cascade Christian? I think you would qualify and they will tell you how much aid you will get before you have to pay the registration fee. It is worth checking out. Also, some people work part time at the school. Because they work at the school, their kids get a discount to go there.
The 4 day school week is going to happen in every public school district in Southern Oregon next year. They are going to go Tuesday-Friday and have longer school days. For families where both parents work, that is going to create a real hardship as they will have to find childcare for Mondays. Because of the fewer school days each week, longer school days (especially for elementary) and the cost of childcare, Grace and Cascade expect that some parents will send their kids to Grace and Cascade.
As for the state funding education last, up until now education has always been cut less than other areas of the state budget. This year the state budget has such a huge shortfall that every area is going to get hit, including education.
Many local school boards have been really slow to react to this crisis and have shown a real inability to make tough decisions now to minimize the impact on programs in the future. They are cutting no days this year but are going to have to cut 47 days next year? This makes no sense. I think they are trying to maximize the pain for next year in the hope that the outcry from parents will get them more money from the legislature. This stupidity and intellectually dishonest behavior just galls me.
Any business facing a huge revenue shortfall would start making cuts now to minimize the impact. They would make cuts in the areas that would impact their business the least. School boards on the other hand seem to make cuts in areas that would have the most impact (school days and teachers), yet you don’t see them proposing to cut any administrators or other areas that would have less impact on students. They do this in hopes that parents will rise up and put pressure on legislators to give them more money.
But this time the budget shortfall is so serious that it is not going to work and some school administrators are going to be exposed. They need to totally reevaluate everything they spend money on and figure out a way to make cuts that have the least impact on their “product”, which is educating children. When they start cutting administrators at the same rate they are cutting teachers then they will doing their jobs. Until then, things are going to get worse before they get better.
I’m a teacher, and I appreciate the fact that you are recognizing that we are doing our best despite the short falls of the system!
@Robert Johnson – I totally agree with you. I about choked when I heard the district rep say they had spent the budget down to the last 2%, banking on a great 2009/2011 biennium. How irresponsible is that? I think that was the moment I knew we needed to get the kids out of the public school system. If they can’t manage their budget effectively, how am I supposed to believe they will teach my children? It flows from the top down, you know?
We thought about looking into finacial aid at Grace, and I’m sure we’d qualify for something. I think we’ve decided to homeschool for the time being though. We’ll take it a year at a time, and if the kids ever go back to school, it will probably be at Grace or Cascade Christian. Jim has a great affinity for those schools.
I also get the feeling everyone is going to a 4 day week next year. They kept saying it wasn’t decided, but it sounded like they were pretty sure and just waiting for Medford school district to make the first move. I think there’s going to be plenty of parental outrage over it. It’s just too bad only 13 parents showed up to the meeting to get a head’s up on the situation. I think people all around need to take responsibility, from the government, to the district administrators, to parents, who need to be more involved with their children’s educations.
I’ll step off my soapbox now. :)
@Rachel – my experiences with my kids’ teachers have been pretty positive over the years. Teachers work hard in limited circumstances, and they really do care about the kids. Thanks for all you do!
In response to “Kristy @ Master Your Card”:
What About Socialization?
Why We Homeschool: Socialization
HSLDA: Socialization? No problem!
Just wanted to clear up a misconception. :-)
I’m so sorry you’re in such a tough position, Lynnae. If it were me, homeschooling would be our only option, I think. We are blessed here in my hometown that we have a local charter school that has a once-a-week homeschool program that makes it a point to help parents like me do a good job. They teach us how to plan, how to file any state paperwork, how to keep records, etc. And, the kids get to go to a “real” school once a week, where Art, hands-on science, language arts, and PE are all covered. They’re working on getting funding to add music, but we don’t know how that will go.
It’s really cool, and I’m really looking forward to having the help and support I need to make sure I’m doing right by my kids.
I’ll send a prayer up for you tonight. :-)
@Iva – I am so thankful for people like you. My daughter received speech services for a long time. I was an instructional assistant for the preschool special ed program in my county, before I had children. It’s not an easy job.
I’m not aware of any correlation between $x spent per student and the student getting higher grades, ACT scores, or doing better in college then another student. I don’t know about the specifics of your state, but in my state (Mississippi) Over 65% of the state’s budget is spent by the Dept. of Education. It was 2.2 Billion dollars last year. The state even has a formula called MAEP (Mississippi adequate education plan) to determine how much to spend on each child.
I think the largest problem is there is a lot of waste in school spending with administrative costs, people high up wanting new furniture, after school activities, not enough school consolidation, etc. A previous GF of mine was a middle school math teacher, and let me tell you how much that sucked. She would get a $250/semester budget for class room supplies and with that she had to buy posters, chalk, paper, etc. She worked in a mostly minority school because she only had a couple of years of teaching experience, so most of the kids were so poor that when they would come to school, they wouldn’t have any paper, pencils, etc. Once a month she’d go to walmart and spend out of her own pocket to buy paper and pencils for them.
Another option instead of private schooling is home schooling.
“I worry about what rising homeschooling numbers do to the funding of classrooms.”
Someone commented about this above, but actually I pay taxes in my town, yet my kids are homeschooled, so this actually helps the school. They still get my taxes, how does this hurt the school?
That being said only God knows what is best for your family. And I only take it year by year, my kids may go back to public school next year or in a few years, you always have that option.
I will also say we belong to a wonderful co-op. We meet two days a week 10-5 (with core and extra curricular activities.) Co-op starts with 15 min. of worship.
Co-op core classes are science, history, and geography. So at home I focus on math, spelling. language arts, and english (plus music & language which we have not gotten to yet.)
Extra classes are dance, art, music, drama, writing, and Odyssey of the Mind (we don’t do all, but these are all that are offered.)
Co-op is so great, I do not think I would homeschool with out it. I teach preschool, which I love (my kids are out of preschool age now.)
I would recommend getting involved in something like this.
Thanks for your blog! -Becky
Rebecca – In our state, part of the funding of each school district is determined by the number of kids in the district. Part of the money comes from property taxes (and that all goes to the district), and part comes from the state. It’s the state part that is determined by number of students, so pulling kids out to homeschool does have an impact on the district’s budget.
However, the public school system isn’t working effectively, and I don’t think anyone who can change it is really going to acknowledge that something needs to be changed, unless kids start leaving public schools. So while I feel bad that pulling my kids out may hurt the funding for the schools, I’m not willing to sacrifice my children’s education, just so the school can have more funding.
In the end, the responsibility for raising my children and making sure they’re well educated lies with me, and my first responsibility is to my kids.
Isn’t it interesting that public schools say they are doing such a great job educating children, but they fight any attempt to set up a voucher system that would allow parents to choose the school for their children and use the the money the state pays for their childs education.
If they are doing such a good job, why do they fight vouchers at every turn? If these schools were really doing a good job educating children, they would welcome vouchers because the schools that are doing the best job would grow and have even more funding.
But the stone cold reality is that some public schools would literally go away, many would struggle and the few that are doing a great job would actually grow. But vouchers would accomplish in one or two years what nothing else including more money has ever been able to accomplish.
It would force public schools to really improve how they educate students, or they would literally go away and be replaced by private organizations that would lease existing school facilities and take over where the public schools have failed.
Remember, private schools have to excel at educating students or parents are not going to pay $5,000 or more per year to have their children go there. Private schools face the real world of having to actually provide a superior education, because if they dont’t they will cease to exist. They don’t get the $5500 that the state gives to each student they have in their district. They have to do a superior job educating students every day or parents won’t pay tuition.
Public schools are always crying for more money, yet private schools provide a superior education for far less money than public schools. In Oregon, when you add in bond measures that school districts are allowed to use to build buildings and facilities, taxpayers spend almost $8,000 per year on every public school student. Most private schools are in the $5-6,000 range.
Most public schools know all about doing less with more, but they know nothing about doing more with less. It is no wonder they are completely clueless about how to deal with a huge budget shortfall. Instead of looking at everything they spend money on and asking the question “are we getting our moneys worth?”, their answer is to fire teachers and/or cut school days.
(Now I will get off my soapbox!)
As much as I respect both Christian schools and homeschooling, I have to go with the hybrid approach. There are definitely things that your kids will learn in public school (and socialization with people who are different than you as well as teachers they don’t like (which is also a valuable life skill) and then you can supplement at home. That way you can still blog, still pay off your debt, and provide your kids with a good education on the side.
Answer is “Move”……Easier said than done, but public vs private is not a question in good suburbs.
People who do not move are choosing to not eat the cake, nor have it. You lose BOTH ways.
I pay a big chunk in taxes, but I get Free Schooling and the district here is GREAT. I selected this current home based on the School District, and now my commute is greater, but I am happier since kids are doing well.
Today they are in Champaign, IL with other top schools at a Math Competition. Would it have happened with my old school > NO WAY.
take care…..
Kenny
@Kenny – I’d have to move an awful long way, since it’s a statewide problem. We moved into our school district, because it was good, also. But all the schools in the state are dealing with drastic cuts. The biggest school district in the county just announced they would also go to a 4 day school week. Another school district just cut 23 teachers. From Portland down to Ashland, every single school in the state is facing the cuts. In this situation, moving to a good suburb won’t do any good. We already live in a good district. Well, as far as Oregon schools go, anyway…
It is quite likely that we are seeing a coming shift in primary education. The idea that we could “make someone else pay” to fund it is falling apart because there really is no such thing as a free lunch. Money paid for that must come from somewhere. Where do you think they would get it from?
As to homeschooling, my wife pulled it off with our children and she only had a high school diploma. Dedication and interest is far more important early on. Our children never picked up my love for learning almost anything, but they still know more than most of the graduates of the nearest government school.
Take advantage of many life experiences and expose your children to many real life things. How “natural” is being cooped up with a group that is within a year of your own age anyway?
Check out the unschooling movement for some good ideas on flexible approaches. We ended up following a more relaxed schooling approach, but I am not in favor of a highly structured approach whatever method you choose.
Lots of good support is available and a local library is likely packed with good books. You don’t need to be super patient, you just need to love your children. Your class size is going to shrink dramatically, something that will make up for any loss of formal training. (And it is debatable how valuable that training really is. See the discussions of having practitioners in many areas teach rather than those going through “teacher’s colleges”.)
I would also note that a factory model of education is not going to hold up to the information economy. We need a more flexible method of instruction that is more personalized. The technology is getting there, but the personalization is far more important in most cases!
Brad
I think that public education is what you make of it. If your children come from a loving, responsible home where education is held to a high standard, your children will shine no matter what their school is like. They will be attracted to peers with similar backgrounds, and they will lift each other up and succeed. I had a college of education professor once who could have lived in the ritziest suburbs of Columbus but instead wanted to live within the city limits so his children could attend Columbus City Schools. (Let me just tell you that the Columbus City Schools do not have a good reputation). His children, however, turned out wonderfully because of what they had at home to supplement.
As for your school’s budget woes… this is what my school has faced these past three or four years: two million in cuts every year (running a school on less than last year is difficult since teachers get raises). This year push came to shove, the voters failed to pass the levy for the second time, and now we’re facing something like another ten million in cuts. Almost one third of the teaching staff is being let go. I can’t even imagine what it will be like next year, but since I’m one of those being let go, I guess it’s not my problem to worry about anymore. I’ll just stay at home with my baby and pray my husband keeps his job!
“They will be attracted to peers with similar backgrounds, and they will lift each other up and succeed.”
Perhaps, but that leaves a lot out. I have done well as a product (mostly) of the Columbus Public Schools you mention. They lacked a lot in the “opportunity” department and I should have ended up much worse. Sure, I associated with the “advanced science and math” geeks, but they were not that wholesome of a bunch, in general.
My loner tendencies is what kept me out of a lot of things that would have been quite detrimental.
Though that is not the root of it. A factor model of education is not the ideal way for anyone. It may be acceptable in a given situation, but it is a flawed model in many ways. Having a system that actively pushes a strong philosophy also hinders things.
While I have a strong education, up through an M.S., my independent learning has been much more successful in my life than any formal schooling. It is fortunate that any formal schooling didn’t squish that.
I would strongly encourage anyone to choose the path with more flexibility, ultimately. It is tough striving against the current monopoly, but the groundwork will drastically change over the next few decades. Getting ahead of that change will be much more productive for your own children.
Brad
Shorting the school year, layoffs, increased class sizes, eliminating bus routes, less textbooks and shorter school days. How does this help kids get an education? The schools are getting the short end of the stick every time cuts are being made. Which leads me to believe that getting a descent education is starting to become a luxury and not a right. But even private schools are hurting since people are out of work and can’t afford to pay the tuition. The economy is not going to get any better anytime soon and the cuts are going to keep on coming. Candy sales are not cutting so I decided to start using, http://www.mainstreetfair.com they will donate money to schools and since I already sell items online I am now using this site. When my items sells my son’s school gets money. For everyone who is concerned about the lack of funding, you should be using this website.
Regarding the “private schools do not receive the $5,500 per student from the state” comment from above: In our school district we have received the same amount of money from the state of Ohio for the last 6 years, despite the fact that our enrollment has been steadily increasing. The state governments are not helping out. Ten years ago the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that primarily funding schools thru property taxes is illegal, yet the state government has yet to provide another formula. Sadly, 0ther things have taken precedence in the legislature and the budget!!
I am a senior this year and i know that they have recently done the budget cut like last year i think but what people don’t under is it’s always been this way people are just now taking a stand saying something about it. Well here’s something for yall to think about we still have books that are parents had. We have to worst lunch ever. Some of the teachers here don’t even care about teaching us and most the teachers just teach so they can be a coach. The reason so many ppl drop out is cause they feel teachers don’t care so they give up. Ppl act like it’s all the governments fault what about the parents most them don’t even help there kids so yea
It is a challenge Latasha. I would just encourage you to keep as focused as you personally can. Learn all you can and keep pushing the desire to learn. It may not be easy, but getting ahead in today’s information economy requires that you be continually learning and adapting.
It can be hard when you see lots of apathy around you, but do what you can to grow past that.
I used to think money was the problem, but money will never cure the apathy she notes. We really need to reevaluate the idea that someone else (government, schools, whatever) can do the job families must do.
Brad
My kids have just completed there first year at Texas Virtual Academy. It is an online charter school that requires them to take all the state mandates tests and state certified teachers. They do all their work online from home, they love it, and have repeatedly told me how much more they are learning than they did in public school.
I believe Oregon has such a virtual academy as well. http://www.k12.com/orva/
Home school your beautiful white children if you care about them. They will be attacked and held back in govt run detention centers (public schools) amren.com for more.
I was just browsing through and read your story about the school budget cut. First, Thank you for praying, because that is exactly what it will take. I am sorry about what is going to happen to the schools because of the cut, that is if it really going to be a cut, the teachers are already not paid near enough. May God help those who do not teach and understand it does not happen over night. You ask what would we do, Years back i was in a similiar situation. So, by the Holy Spirit, I am now homeschooling. Which is all by the faith in the Lord, and Him telling me which way to go. My students are in middle school and high school, which is ran like a college courses. We believe the Lord for what we need each year and He has not fail at suppling the books and materials needed. I will keep your family in prayer concerning this. thanks for putting this story out .