Is starting a small private school in Alexandria a good idea?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just curious, when you say strict academics and discipline, what do you mean? Is there another school that you view this proscpective school as comparable to? What do you plan to do about phys ed vs. recess (which you have already explained would be at a playground)?
I think you need to get parents in the math/science fields involved if the school is going to be a coop.

OP again. We are not modeling it after any particular school at the moment although we are looking for school examples. By strict academics and discipline i mean something along the lines of this: I think there is a lot of wasted time in public schools. There are always "trouble" kids that take away from the overall learning environment. In most private schools this is not tolerated and there are consequences when a child acts out. And most parents of private school students back this type of discipline whereas in many public schools ( in this area) the parents are not involved.

I am not concerned about phys. ed. right now... the kids will be five when starting the school. There phys ed. is play time and games and running around.

Many things will evolve if/when the school grows.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So you think you would be financially strained if you sent your kids to private school, but are willing to sink massive amounts of money into starting a private school, in hopes of having a similar school experience for your kid? And also waste lots of your time putting this school together? I think you should save your time and money and send them to SSSAS. Much more cost-effective.

OP again. No, I am willing to invest about 20K up front and about 7-10k a year. That is a major difference than 30K a year. ( especially with more than one kid). If the school doesn't work out then I will have not spent more than I would have if my kid went to SSSAS for one year. Obviously we will re-evaluate during/at the end of the first year and see if it is worth continuing.

I am totally willing to put forth the time.

[Anonymous]

OP, check out Christian Family Montessori in DC. They keep costs low by active fundraising and being a parent run co-op. I have friends at the school who like the education a lot--whether or not they are Catholic.

[Anonymous]

I am not concerned about phys. ed. right now... the kids will be five when starting the school. There phys ed. is play time and games and running around

Again, I think it is important to look into state requirements on this issue. It is mandated by state law for grades K and up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Look OP, why are you here asking questions if you have all the answers?

You have done very little research as evidenced by your posts. There are no public charter schools in Alexandria City. Alexandria Academy was in fact a private school and it was not an elementary school as I recall.

You can not just go to an office building in Old Town, rent an office, and set up a school. It doesn't work like that nor should it.

I agree that you are grossly underestimating the costs. And where are they "playgrounds" you are walking too anyway? There are very few in Alexandria City that are in fact walkable and not tied to a public school.

I don't think your idea is without merit but I do think you need to do a lot more very basic research on the City before you even bother with consultants.

Also "strict academics and discipline" in Alex City??? That appeals nicely to the low income parents who in fact can't afford the $7-$10K but for the liberal parents who are already using private schools they aren't looking for that kind of environment. Check out the Alex privates and many are based on more cooperative, nuturing, earthy, learning environment ideals. (in theory at least)

OP again. I have never admitted to having all the answers. I am learning and exploring right now. I would not have posted on this forum if I thought I would get responses like " that is an awesome idea, good for you!" I posted here because I knew the idea would get slammed and I hope to learn from the responses.

I have never heard of Alexandria Academy. Thanks for sharing. Do you have any more info on this school and why it failed? I plan to learn from both failures and successes. I consider Alexandria Country Day to be a success that started by a small group of people. It has grown into a reputable school.

I do not expect this to be easy. I do think there is a market and interest for this type of school.

I also consider myself a glass half full person!

[Anonymous]

OP - why don't you just homeschool? I am serious about that.

First, the elementary schools in Old Town are not bad. In fact, most people are thrilled with most of them (a couple exceptions of course, like Jefferson Houston). So I'm surprised you are even asking this question for elementary.

Second, most everybody else who wants a cheaper private school sends their kids to St. Mary's. Of course, if you aren't Catholic and aren't at all religious, this may not be appealing to you, but it is a pretty cheap private school option (like in the range you are quoting).

FWIW, I justed moved away from Old Town last year (down the GW Parkway with a bunch of Old Town/Del Ray refugees). We still own our TH there, and are still pretty invested in the community.

I think it pretty amusing that you think you can just rent office space somewhere, hire one teacher and find - what - a handful of your friends to fund this little experiment of yours. Good luck with that...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think you might want to look at what the homeschooling networks are doing? I can't recall the article bit they are renting space, hiring teachers and offering courses to members and thy were doing it in an affordable way. Other than that I would think a charter would work best because you are funded via the school system. I found a school that operated in a similar manner in MA but they closed. They had been operating since the 30s.

Co-ops for day care help keep the to ~1/2 of other day cares. It might work search online in different areas of the country. Montessori programs are often cheaper.

OP again. Thank you! A homeschooling network may be a good fit for us and I plan to learn more about this as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just curious, when you say strict academics and discipline, what do you mean? Is there another school that you view this proscpective school as comparable to? What do you plan to do about phys ed vs. recess (which you have already explained would be at a playground)?
I think you need to get parents in the math/science fields involved if the school is going to be a coop.

OP again. We are not modeling it after any particular school at the moment although we are looking for school examples. By strict academics and discipline i mean something along the lines of this: I think there is a lot of wasted time in public schools. There are always "trouble" kids that take away from the overall learning environment. In most private schools this is not tolerated and there are consequences when a child acts out. And most parents of private school students back this type of discipline whereas in many public schools ( in this area) the parents are not involved.

I am not concerned about phys. ed. right now... the kids will be five when starting the school. There phys ed. is play time and games and running around.

Many things will evolve if/when the school grows.

Okay, OP, I have to ask....do you even have kids in school yet?

Do you have a degree in education management, or early childhood education or anything?

B/c you seem to think you know an awful lot about the elementary school experience around here without...well...having any kids in school or any background in school systems...

[Anonymous]

My concern with your idea is that there is going to be a limited group of parents that can pay the tution AND donate tons of time to a coop (because they are working to afford the tuition). Parents who don't have this issue would likely have the resources to pay for a traditional private school.

[Anonymous]

Second, most everybody else who wants a cheaper private school sends their kids to St. Mary's. Of course, if you aren't Catholic and aren't at all religious, this may not be appealing to you, but it is a pretty cheap private school option (like in the range you are quoting).

I think Saint Mary's may not appeal to even those, like myself, who are "Catholic Lite."

[Anonymous]

PP is right - there are several elementary schools in Alexandria City that are ok and many parents are really happy with - especially in the Old Town area. It's at middle school where it falls apart. There are already a couple fledgling middle school options that are less expensive then the privates- Alexandria Friends and Howard Gardner (although this is actually down near Rose Hill but still has an Alexandria address). These are established schools.

Other factors to seriously consider - the Potomac Yards development and the tear down of some public housing in North Old Town - both will shift demographics in the next few years and possibly create a new elementary school for that area. Also, re-development in the Beauregard area near the BRAC building in the next 3 - 5 years - the elimination of the older apartment complexes that house many lower income immigrant families will again shift the demographics in elementary but also in middle school.

Spending the money to hire private school consultant at this juncture is premature and a waste of resources. You and your friends need to really start researching education choices in the City, City politics, general development. Plan to vote this November for City council members and school board memebers. Talk to your neighbors who actually have kids in the schools. Find out what they like and don't like. Investigate the current private school options. Grace Episcopal and Immanual Lutheran are under $20K and offer classic approach to education.

[Anonymous]

I have similar concerns as the PPs. I admire your passion but really question your experience with schools.

Finding "excellent" teachers at a low salary (and keeping them) is extremely challenging, even for highly experienced administrators.

Also I think your ideas of "trouble" children are a bit worrisome. Some children have challenges at home, learning challenges, etc. (These are elementary kids you are talking about right?!?) Many of the bright, charming, outgoing children in my son's private K class this past year would have definitely been considered disruptive in an environment that was not developmentally appropriate.

Your positioning of strict, academic - would not resonate with many of the private school parents I know, especially for elementary. I think people possibly looking for more structure would be inclined to go parochial with an established school for similar tuition costs. I can't figure out who your market would be.

Also - how exactly do you think it would work if you wanted to counsel out a "trouble" child (however you define that) when you are a young school and really need the tuition to cover your costs? What would the impact be on enrollment if the perception was that you were excluding certain types of students?

Agreed with PPs you should start with the homeschool networks. You may find what you need for your children there, or possibly a more robust framework to start one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My concern with your idea is that there is going to be a limited group of parents that can pay the tution AND donate tons of time to a coop (because they are working to afford the tuition). Parents who don't have this issue would likely have the resources to pay for a traditional private school.

OP again.

possibly, but i hear of many people who like the price and idea of St. Mary's, but are not catholic or do not want the religious component in school.

[Anonymous]

Another person chiming in that you need to:
a) Find out more about public schools in general, ACPS in specific, and how demographics might be changing (see excellent PP.)
b) Rethink your beliefe that "trouble" children only exist in the public school, and you will be able to keep them out. If you are brand new private school, and you have a family with the money, but maybe some kids with discipline issues (which could come from a host of reasons) are you just going to "kick them out"? You lose their money. Private schools have their own challenges.

[Anonymous]

OP again.

I don't want to move down the parkway. We have obviously considered this option.

many many people in this area are not happy with the "good" elementary schools and do not want to send their kids there.

we would not pay the teacher a lower salary than other teachers in the area.

"troubled" kids might not have been the right term. I know that many kids have all sorts of learning disabilities and challenges at home. I was thinking more about how to handle deliberate naughty behavior.

i don't mean that I think the school should be all work and no play. I think it should be a creative, artistic learning environment. HOwever parents will be very involved and that will be a key component of the school. If you don't want to put the time in then the school is not for you.