Mass exodus from public school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:please stop the empty threats for going to private and just go

Word. I mean, less crammed students in my class? Puh - lease!!!!
Make it happen.

Be careful what you wish for. The wealthy are a huge benefit to the public school system.

We will still have their property tax $ and less crowded schools, and magnet programs. I'm good.

-umc parent

[Anonymous]

My understanding is that private school applications are way up, as you would expect. However, they cannot accommodate all students so it won't be as massive an exodus as one would imagine but I still believe that all area private schools will be at full capacity. There will also be some that opt to continue homeschooling because they've lost faith in the system.

I, for one, was a big proponent of public schooling. After 2020, I have made an about face and applied to private for all three kids. I have no idea if we'll get it and affording it will be a separate matter, but the veil has been lifted on public schools. The mismanagement, poor communication and dreadful FL rollout has pushed many of us over the edge. I gave a ton of leeway from March - Sept 2020, but now we're past due for some constructive program.

And I would never have considered private but for FCPS' poor showing through COVID FWIW.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:please stop the empty threats for going to private and just go

Word. I mean, less crammed students in my class? Puh - lease!!!!
Make it happen.

Be careful what you wish for. The wealthy are a huge benefit to wealthy students in the public school system.

How so? PTA donations? They pay the same taxes regardless of whether their students are enrolled in public or elsewhere.

Take a look at the high performing schools in FCPS and then look at their FARMs rates. Now look at the low performing schools and look at the FARMs rates. Do you see a pattern?

[Anonymous]

As someone else said, a mass exodus isn’t really possible.

I’d switch my kids to private in a heartbeat, but we can’t afford it. Most people cannot.

The private schools are all full with waiting lists, even I could afford it.

There really isn’t anywhere else to go...so mass exodus? No.

[Anonymous]

Some people say they will move / at least for the year.

But mass exodus may be unlikely but definitely more loss than they already have and that continues this year, I believe is possible.

[Anonymous]

Dream on, OP.

[Anonymous]

I’m a teacher and class sizes are the same as always.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m a teacher and class sizes are the same as always.

Not at my base school K. They lost 2/3 of the kinders that had registered.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The big problem isn't going to be rich people going private, it's going to be trying to juggle the kids who stay in public who have been learning well for the past year with those who have tuned out and are being left behind.

+1 you win the smartest person award.

Which is why I think there will be some level of exodus. The gap will widen, and it is unrealistic to expert teachers to fix the problem.

Right so that is why I’m going to send my kids to private. I’ll have to decide before FCPS says whether they’ll be open full time in the fall or not. I would stay if I knew it would be full time, despite the mess. But if I know it will be a mess & I don’t have a guarantee that they’ll be open full time at the time I have to decide - I’ll take my chances on private. It’s a risk but I think it’s one I’m willing to take after a year of DL that I didn’t choose.

I like our neighborhood public school. I always thought we would do that unless there was a serious problem. Never did it cross my mind that the serious problem would be the public school wasn’t open for full time in person instruction.

If you want to decide, the private spots will be gone. I just enrolled my kids in private a second year. I can't trust FCPS. Only bought house for the elementary zone. It is a shame. I have to work. My kids to have to be in school. I can't do "virtual" at home and work with two grades. Impossible.

[Anonymous]

It looks like most of the comments in this thread come from just one person. How sad.

[Anonymous]

If school doesn’t start in the fall we will homeschool. I don’t want them getting my kids pupil money.

[Anonymous]

Our county K was down 30% at the start of the year. They won’t release numbers of what it’s at now

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It looks like most of the comments in this thread come from just one person. How sad.

Go back to your Chinese bot

[Anonymous]

Just a flipside...

My kid does attend private. He's 14.

The model is hybrid, so he attends 2 days a week.

He had a positive Covid test months before school started and recovered.

At least 3 times, we got the call that he was in close contact with a person who tested +, so he had to quarantine and become a virtual learner.

For a month, the whole school went virtual because there were a lot of + cases.

Longer holidays were topped off with extended periods of virtual learning, because people travel or make their own choices of what a pod is.

The back and forth makes it hard to stay on track (and all of this is hard).

The school is doing the best they can, but they are juggling providing this service of in-person learning with keeping their staff & students safe.

The tuition is a stretch for us, and we joke that for the number of in person days, it would be cheaper to "home school" at Disney every day, including the flight. If I had to guess, I would say that he has been in the building 20 times.

We are considering shifting back to public but it does seem like we can be optimistic about the entire pandemic getting better in the near future.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just a flipside...

My kid does attend private. He's 14.

The model is hybrid, so he attends 2 days a week.

He had a positive Covid test months before school started and recovered.

At least 3 times, we got the call that he was in close contact with a person who tested +, so he had to quarantine and become a virtual learner.

For a month, the whole school went virtual because there were a lot of + cases.

Longer holidays were topped off with extended periods of virtual learning, because people travel or make their own choices of what a pod is.

The back and forth makes it hard to stay on track (and all of this is hard).

The school is doing the best they can, but they are juggling providing this service of in-person learning with keeping their staff & students safe.

The tuition is a stretch for us, and we joke that for the number of in person days, it would be cheaper to "home school" at Disney every day, including the flight. If I had to guess, I would say that he has been in the building 20 times.

We are considering shifting back to public but it does seem like we can be optimistic about the entire pandemic getting better in the near future.

thanks for your honest feedback.

IMO, the back/forth and number of days DL (which seem like they are a lot) would make me question whether to go private if in person is my only goal.

If, however, you are also looking for smaller class sizes, I think private would better suit, irrespective of covid.