I never understood the difference between public and private until today

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to a public school in NY that pretty much had all these things. When schools are town-based, in wealthy areas, and funded by local property taxes, the local community can do this. The small number of disadvantaged kids in the zone get the benefits, too.

None of the VA “good” districts are all that because of the county funding models.

I agree!

Went to a public school in NJ that was also town-based. So much different and more efficient than the ridiculously large county based MCPS system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Its not so much the schools (ie, the building), but the teachers, parents and students. I had DS at a MD public elementary school for two years, which felt like a lifetime.

How is their special education program?

For the special ed kids, it looked great. For my ADHD kid, having the special ed kids was one more unneeded distraction. (There were 4 autistic kids in his small 32 person classroom.)

Really? How entitled of you.
I’ll bet that your kid was the distraction to everyone !

He was! So we adjusted his meds so he wouldn’t impede the education of the children of other taxpayers.

But entitled? Well, I pay over $70k per year in Maryland taxes, so I should be able to send junior to a decent public school where his education — and not half-assed social engineering — is the top priority.

You have enough money to start an entire private school with small classes for your kid.
But the public schools apparently don’t. Or, maybe it’s the teachers unions fault for insisting that small class sizes are a bad thing because there aren’t enough ‘qualified teachers’ to be hired. But the special kids have a right to a mainstream classroom just like your kid does. Demanding that certain kids leave your child’s classroom is incredibly entitled. It’s the pinnacle tippy top of entitlement.

Many of us pay taxes all of our lives and never send a child through the public school system. Just because you ‘pay taxes’ doesn’t give you the right to demand much of anything except for your child’s free education as it is offered to him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to a public school in NY that pretty much had all these things. When schools are town-based, in wealthy areas, and funded by local property taxes, the local community can do this. The small number of disadvantaged kids in the zone get the benefits, too.

None of the VA “good” districts are all that because of the county funding models.

I agree!

Went to a public school in NJ that was also town-based. So much different and more efficient than the ridiculously large county based MCPS system.

+1000
Public schools run by towns or cities are better at teaching (curriculum, spending, community, fewer disparate interests) than large counties like La, MOCo, etc. Central office is just in a social justice power trip at most of these large county places. And would never cut it at a private school or charter school where one is held accountable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have always been a proponent of public education, but now that I have to means and opportunity to send my child to a top tier private school, I am changing my tune.
I toured a school today and my world has really been rocked. I just had no idea, it’s a completely different planet. Anyone else experience this? We just left the DC area. It is obviously a nationally recognized school, but not one of the schools discussed here.
For a bit of perspective, my family was zoned to public school with a very low “ score” in a much maligned close in part of Va before we left.
The public schools in our new commmnity are very well regarded. I never thought I would consider private.
Now I can’t unsee this.

Where are you bases? America? East coast or middle or west coast? Baltimore? I do t get it.

We can tell.

I thought she moved away from the DMV, but is not telling us where for some odd reason.
In most of Florida you have to go private. Austin TX has awesome public’s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to a public school in NY that pretty much had all these things. When schools are town-based, in wealthy areas, and funded by local property taxes, the local community can do this. The small number of disadvantaged kids in the zone get the benefits, too.

None of the VA “good” districts are all that because of the county funding models.

I agree!

Went to a public school in NJ that was also town-based. So much different and more efficient than the ridiculously large county based MCPS system.

+1000
Public schools run by towns or cities are better at teaching (curriculum, spending, community, fewer disparate interests) than large counties like La, MOCo, etc. Central office is just in a social justice power trip at most of these large county places. And would never cut it at a private school or charter school where one is held accountable.

Except for schools run by towns or cities that are not good...

Size isn't the issue. Demographics is the issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to a public school in NY that pretty much had all these things. When schools are town-based, in wealthy areas, and funded by local property taxes, the local community can do this. The small number of disadvantaged kids in the zone get the benefits, too.

None of the VA “good” districts are all that because of the county funding models.

I agree!

Went to a public school in NJ that was also town-based. So much different and more efficient than the ridiculously large county based MCPS system.

+1000
Public schools run by towns or cities are better at teaching (curriculum, spending, community, fewer disparate interests) than large counties like La, MOCo, etc.

You just can't make that as a blanket statement. It's simply not true. There are good small school districts, and bad small school districts. Wealthy small school districts tend to be very good. Working class or poor small school districts tend to struggle. Allegheny County in Pennsylvania has 42 separate school districts. Forty two separate administrations, superintendents, budgets, labor agreements, curricula, etc. Three, maybe up to five of them are excellent, among the best in the state and competitive nationally. A lot are fine. Some are not.

[Anonymous]

Most kids won’t learn much no matter how much money you take from the other side of town

[Anonymous]

I don’t know OP. But I do know that 1) school is not real life and 2) the goal of all parents should be to raise well adjusted future adults. I would worry about pressure and early sophistication, but then again, I can’t afford schools like that.

https://www.amazon.com/How-Raise-Adult-Overparenting-Prepare/dp/1250093635

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What left you awestruck?

The facility for starters.
I just toured the lower campus for preschool through 8th. It had 2 gymnasiums, a pool, amazing art and music studios. All children take up an instrument. The science lab space is amazing, and they are expanding to a new innovative stem center. There is crazy fabrication shop. All kids take Spanish and Mandarin. The library has fireplaces.
It was magical
I toured Hogwarts.

What do they charge per year?

Right now I am looking only at pre school.
It would be MWF - 8:30 to noon for about 6200

once I open this pandora’s Box of wonder, how do we go back to the local perfectly good school? The upper school is about 30k a year now. Of course that will likely be 50k by the time we reach high school.

No thank you

That's college for us. If you're an involved parent in decent public cluster, your kid will do fine.

We have friends in debt - hundreds of thousands now - b/c they insisted on private for their kid. (She switched twice b/c the first private wasn't a good fit.)

I can't see spending that much, and we are doing OK with our two-income HH.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What left you awestruck?

The facility for starters.
I just toured the lower campus for preschool through 8th. It had 2 gymnasiums, a pool, amazing art and music studios. All children take up an instrument. The science lab space is amazing, and they are expanding to a new innovative stem center. There is crazy fabrication shop. All kids take Spanish and Mandarin. The library has fireplaces.
It was magical
I toured Hogwarts.

this is precisely why i didn't want my kids in the private school. it's a school, not a resort. they don't need any of those facilities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What left you awestruck?

The facility for starters.
I just toured the lower campus for preschool through 8th. It had 2 gymnasiums, a pool, amazing art and music studios. All children take up an instrument. The science lab space is amazing, and they are expanding to a new innovative stem center. There is crazy fabrication shop. All kids take Spanish and Mandarin. The library has fireplaces.
It was magical
I toured Hogwarts.

this is precisely why i didn't want my kids in the private school. it's a school, not a resort. they don't need any of those facilities.

Fireplaces in the library, sure, that’s unnecessary. But you think they don’t need a science lab, gym, or spaces to learn art and music?

[Anonymous]

Private schools cherry pick and are exclusive. They were not an option for my children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have always been a proponent of public education, but now that I have to means and opportunity to send my child to a top tier private school, I am changing my tune.
I toured a school today and my world has really been rocked. I just had no idea, it’s a completely different planet. Anyone else experience this? We just left the DC area. It is obviously a nationally recognized school, but not one of the schools discussed here.
For a bit of perspective, my family was zoned to public school with a very low “ score” in a much maligned close in part of Va before we left.
The public schools in our new commmnity are very well regarded. I never thought I would consider private.
Now I can’t unsee this.

Where are you bases? America? East coast or middle or west coast? Baltimore? I do t get it.

We can tell.

I thought she moved away from the DMV, but is not telling us where for some odd reason.
In most of Florida you have to go private. Austin TX has awesome public’s.

My guess is that if OP gave us the locations, her story will fall apart. It's easier to generalize but no specific details to back it up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have always been a proponent of public education, but now that I have to means and opportunity to send my child to a top tier private school, I am changing my tune.
I toured a school today and my world has really been rocked. I just had no idea, it’s a completely different planet. Anyone else experience this? We just left the DC area. It is obviously a nationally recognized school, but not one of the schools discussed here.
For a bit of perspective, my family was zoned to public school with a very low “ score” in a much maligned close in part of Va before we left.
The public schools in our new commmnity are very well regarded. I never thought I would consider private.
Now I can’t unsee this.

Where are you bases? America? East coast or middle or west coast? Baltimore? I do t get it.

We can tell.

I thought she moved away from the DMV, but is not telling us where for some odd reason.
In most of Florida you have to go private. Austin TX has awesome public’s.

My guess is that if OP gave us the locations, her story will fall apart. It's easier to generalize but no specific details to back it up.

Fall apart how? What on earth would I gain by making up such a thing? I have no interest in turning this thread into a pissing contest between which private school is best.

[Anonymous]

You could at least say the region. dC has tons of transplants from all over, many of whom could do an educated cost/benefit for you. Doing this silly mystery thing where all you discuss is the college-like campus doesn’t help much.

You want a school where a majority of kids are aiming for Ivy League. Working alongside those kids will bring up everyone else. Going to a private that’s half trust fund kids and half there so they don’t-get-in-trouble types that all go trin trin is not.