Having a Hard Time Signing the Renewal Contracts

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Norwood?

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[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Too many changes at the school this year, installation of new administrators we really dislike and we both find unprofessional and the ones we do like moving on soon, many of the families we liked have left in recent years or are planning to leave.

We didn't apply our kids out this year, but started thinking a little while ago we would next year, when we will hit natural entry years at other schools. Now I'm having a hard time thinking about signing the contracts for another year. This is the first year I've ever said to myself at renewal time, "Well, you know, I could save all that money and send them to the local public."

Ugh. Really don't want to renew but really don't want to yank them out of school without a new placement to go to (and not just something to do until we get to the next place). The kids do not know how unhappy we are with the school, so it would come as a big shock.

We've done everything we were supposed to do because we felt we should give it a chance and maybe it was just us and so on. (We've since heard we are not the only ones - see above about other families leaving after this year.) We made significant gifts to the annual fund and the auction when asked because we felt we were still a part of the community, whatever grumbles we may have.

But when it comes down to it, I just don't want to sign. I know I eventually will. But I really don't want to.

OP, you need to think strategically. Your DC's will stand a better chance of being admitted as students coming from anotehr private than they would throwing their lot in with some local public AND the entry year factor cannot be underestimated. Do you want good recs or not ? Stick it out one more year. Better yet, volunteer next year with gusto, then apply out with great recs for all that you have brought to school. Is it all working out the way you want it in the end for your kids worth 30K more ?

I guess this is just a vent, but hopefully someone else can share a good story about how it was better the next year or how they got through the next year and then found a great school for their kids. Of course, DH will sign if I tell him to, so somehow I feel it's all on me!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am afraid we will not be coming back. It is with a really heavy heart that we must do this. It is nurturing, but there are too many problems with the academics that the administration has shown absolutely no inclination to address, particularly in MS.

A Maryland school?

Stop. It doesn't matter. OP is looking for advice, not to be outed.

[Anonymous]

OP -- If you are at the point where you have done everything you think you reasonbly can, then think about where else you would go and start looking. If you cannot move to the schools you would want to move your child to for September, then you either stick it out another year or decide to go public. But if there is a school you like that still has openings, then time to talk to your child and start the process. Tell your child not that a move will happen, but that you are looking around to see what might be a good place in the future, and if you find one who knows.. . You'll learn alot in the next few months before your contract is irrevocable, and at that point your child may want to go somewhere else after a good visit, or not. A few years ago, you'd be stuck at this point but in the new economy here are usually spaces at other schools in Montgomery County.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am afraid we will not be coming back. It is with a really heavy heart that we must do this. It is nurturing, but there are too many problems with the academics that the administration has shown absolutely no inclination to address, particularly in MS.

A Maryland school?

Stop. It doesn't matter. OP is looking for advice, not to be outed.

I thought it had been established that it's Norwood. And no need to worry about being outed since it seems there are several in her position.

[Anonymous]

Although the OP refers to "too many changes" and new admin she doesn't like coming and families she likes leaving, she does not mention subpar teaching as a reason (unless that's implicit in "too many changes"). With a child that is happy at the school and, unless she says otherwise, good teaching still available, I'm not hearing a great case for leaving. As invested as parents are at the younger ages, it is still the child who attends the school.

[Anonymous]

It's a pain when the return on investment is in the tank. Cut your loses and run for the hills.

[Anonymous]

OP, you need to think strategically. Your DC's will stand a better chance of being admitted as students coming from private than they would throwing their lot in with some local public AND then applying out from there. The entry year factor cannot be underestimated. Do you want good recs or not ? Stick it out one more year. Better yet, volunteer next year with gusto, then apply out with great recs for all that you have brought to school. Is it all working out the way you want it in the end for your kids worth 30K more ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, you need to think strategically. Your DC's will stand a better chance of being admitted as students coming from private than they would throwing their lot in with some local public AND then applying out from there. The entry year factor cannot be underestimated. Do you want good recs or not ? Stick it out one more year. Better yet, volunteer next year with gusto, then apply out with great recs for all that you have brought to school. Is it all working out the way you want it in the end for your kids worth 30K more ?

So a private is less likely to accept kids from public school? I would never have thought of that as a factor. Is dcps even worse for privates than Maryland or Virginia public?

[Anonymous]

Are your kids happy there? That's what keeps me in even when I question that money and certain ways they do things at our school. My children are just so happy. Sure, they might be in our local school, but I'm not going to mess with anything while they love going to school this much every day. It's so worth the money for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op. public school was the most liberating thing that I've done in years. I am not saying that we will never re-enter private school, but for now this is fine. If we do take a second look later it will be a more cautious process with a set goal in mind. The money adds up so quickly that I can't believe how much extra cash we have. The kids are fine. Teachers love them and we are much less stressed.

Same here. Not just for the money but because its a better fit for DC. We did consider leaving our private school a year before we did. We signed the contract but were willing to forgo the deposit if we changed our minds by June 1. In the end we stayed because the school made changes for the better and leaving the following year was a better transition point.

[Anonymous]

Trust your instincts. We left private for Fairfax County public schools this year for financial reasons. My kids love their new school (not so much me, as I am a private school snob LOL!), but my husband and I agree that both our DCs are thriving and seem to really enjoy this new environment. Ifrs your local public is good, I would pursue that course. I would imagine in this economy that many families have needed to leave privates for publics for a short time, and Admissions directors at your next school would understand that each family's circumstances are different, even though you may not be leaving private school for financial reasons.

[Anonymous]

If you cannot move to the schools you would want to move your child to for September, then you either stick it out another year or decide to go public. But if there is a school you like that still has openings, then time to talk to your child and start the process

I mean this kindly. If there is in fact a private school as of 2/7/2013 that still has openings for the coming 2013 fall semester, AND that school would take OP's kid right now even though this private-with-open-seats hasn't yet heard of OP's kid during the 5-month application period ...

... that school is highly unlikely to be an improvement over OP's school, at all. Let alone so much of an improvement over Current Private that OP is suddenly all "Wow, this THIS is worth paying $32,000 a year! Where have you been all my life, New Private?!"

(my point only applies if you live in the DC-close suburbs. I can't speak to Loudon Country Day or the Houston/Chicago/Lexington private school world.)

[Anonymous]

We are not at the school that seems to be the topic of this thread, but I have a question related to the topic. I was surprised to see the HOS send a reminder to parents to send in their reenrollment contracts. Is this typical? What does it mean?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are not at the school that seems to be the topic of this thread, but I have a question related to the topic. I was surprised to see the HOS send a reminder to parents to send in their reenrollment contracts. Is this typical? What does it mean?

Sounds like the school is worried/desperate.