With a possibly influx of kids leaving private schools, are charters looking better?

[Anonymous]

If anything I think people will want to stay at privates (independent or parochial schools ) because the class size is smaller. It would be great to be able to send my kid to a school with a large room and 12 kids in the class and they can spread out versus 32 kids crammed at desks.

[Anonymous]

This! Better teacher:student ratio means all the adaptations needed for covid will happen more smoothly.

I do not believe the DC area will crater in terms of economy. There will be plenty of kids staying in private school.

[Anonymous]

While the middle parents might bail on Private seeing how little the difference is during the stretches of home instruction, but once they see the hot mess of the public kids return not enforcing social distancing there will be people desperate to get into private than leave. Then when the next wave comes in the late fall and schools close again after a couple of teachers get sick, schooling will change fundamentally and hot-mess DC will behind the 8ball for years as they have limited options for their glut of at-risk kids. Olive in AU park won't be at the top of the priority list.

[Anonymous]

I could see the middle of the road high SES parents bail on privates seeing how little the difference is during the stretches of home instruction. But once they see the hot mess as the public kids returning coupled to not enforcing social distancing, there will be many more people desperate to get into private than trying to leave them. When the next wave of CONVID comes in the late fall and schools close again after a couple of teachers get sick, schooling will change fundamentally and hot-mess DC will behind the 8ball for years as they have limited options for their glut of at-risk kids. Olive in AU park won't be at the top of the priority list.

After a bit of proof reading on the subway

[Anonymous]

Not buying it. Not convinced that social distancing will be much different in private and the better public schools.

Some of the private schools in the City, particularly parochial schools, operate in cramped buildings.

You can't just switch from public to private by snapping your fingers - applications for decent privates tend to be due 8 or 9 months before kids arrive in the fall.

The great majority of high SES families in DC public schools won't leave DC for suburban schools over a bit of chaos, or shift attendance, at trusted neighborhood or charter programs due to covid19 disruptions.

The burbs may be no better. Fairfax has only provided distance instruction for the past week!! MoCo for two weeks!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We were in the 400s in the lottery for Latin as it was before COVID... there really aren't good options out there that aren't already overrun..

This is why everyone should stop challenging Latin every step of the way for wanting to duplicate. When any school has that high demand, they should not only be encouraged to duplicate, but triplicate
.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I keep thinking that we're going to see an increase in students at our school as people leave privates to save some $. Charters don't have to manage a swell of kids- so will they be able to keep class sizes down and look relatively more appealing?

Eh, I don't know. There might be some leaving privates to go to public schools who missed out on the opportunity to get into a charter in the lottery, but probably not many? The seats at charter schools are going to fill up regardless of whether the new students are coming from private schools or public or switching from another charter. So, unless your charter is SSMA, I wouldn't get your hopes up too much for low enrollment/smaller class sizes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not buying it. Not convinced that social distancing will be much different in private and the better public schools.

Some of the private schools in the City, particularly parochial schools, operate in cramped buildings.

You can't just switch from public to private by snapping your fingers - applications for decent privates tend to be due 8 or 9 months before kids arrive in the fall.

The great majority of high SES families in DC public schools won't leave DC for suburban schools over a bit of chaos, or shift attendance, at trusted neighborhood or charter programs due to covid19 disruptions.

The burbs may be no better. Fairfax has only provided distance instruction for the past week!! MoCo for two weeks!!


You don’t think fewer better trained rich kids with more accountable (not hired for life) teachers won’t make a difference. You don’t think the greater resources at Sidwell will enable them to protect their institution better than the vast majority of DC public schools? You’re crazy. Just looking at which groups can stay home when they get sick and who has access to elite medical. It is like you don’t know how this works

Maybe the burbs will be as bad as the urban centers but that isn’t how this has be playing out globally for the most part. They say the virus doesn’t discriminate but I see a disproportionate effect on poor black and Hispanics, especially older AA. What do I see a lot of when I look at DCPS hummmm. What do I see less of in every other school district outside of PG.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There will be a revolving door. Kids who leave privates will be replaced by kids in publics. Some movement but probably a wash overall.

you don't think the financial fall out of all of this will mean more kids leaving privates than entering?

Most kids in private have parents who have jobs that are much more secure than most or grandparents who are helping pay tuition.And what makes you think any of these private school kids would be able to get into a charter school anyhow.

[Anonymous]

I don't think you'll see many private families going charter, but there may be an uptick in K-2 at DCPS. More than likely privates will also be using virtual learning, and private school parents may not feel it's worth $40k, especially for younger students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think you'll see many private families going charter, but there may be an uptick in K-2 at DCPS. More than likely privates will also be using virtual learning, and private school parents may not feel it's worth $40k, especially for younger students.

This is the bottom line and addresses OP’s questions. Desirable charters have fixed number of seats. DCPS in boundary schools, no. They have to take everyone k and up in their boundary line whose wants their kids to go there. Black and white.

Even if some private school families want to go charter, it doesn’t change the fixed number of seats, just more competition for the charter seats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think you'll see many private families going charter, but there may be an uptick in K-2 at DCPS. More than likely privates will also be using virtual learning, and private school parents may not feel it's worth $40k, especially for younger students.

This is the bottom line and addresses OP’s questions. Desirable charters have fixed number of seats. DCPS in boundary schools, no. They have to take everyone k and up in their boundary line whose wants their kids to go there. Black and white.

Even if some private school families want to go charter, it doesn’t change the fixed number of seats, just more competition for the charter seats.

OP back, and yes, that was my point.

While obviously most kids in private will stay, I am sure there are more than a few who will either give up their spot. Particularly those who might be joining a private school for the first time and could simply remain at a public school where they were already enrolled. I can see a lot of kids at our WOTP school in PK4 who normally go off to private for K and above choosing not to do so.