Will DeVos' confirmation as Sec of Education increase applications to the top private schools?

[Anonymous]

Please. The prestigious privates would simply announce tuition rises equal in amount to any voucher.

[Anonymous]

The vouchers are only going to low income families. Think HHI under $50K. (if that)
How are these families going to afford Sidwell? Answer. They won't. They'll use them at the $10K Catholic Schools in NE and SE.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. None of the private schools in the top or middle tier are going to take these vouchers. #BelieveMe

Bullshit. It immediately stretches their financial aid. Even if an elite private only has a dozen low income kids, those kids are going to receive voucher checks for $1X,000 each. Solid $120,000-plus in free cash.

Once a school takes state/taxpayer money, it is accountable to the state/fed govt for how those funds are used. The state can make rules that restrict academic freedom in those schools. School vouchers will be welcomed at some private schools, but none of the top independent schools. That is why they are independent!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why don't you all Google how much it costs to educate a student in DCPS for a year and try to make sense of those $ against the outcomes? Seems like a system due for a shake up to me.

Much of that money is privatized; i.e., the people who work with children and have the most training in education (teachers) have very little say on where that money goes. As a brief example, I'm a preschool teacher. Every classroom in my building has Promethean boards, but starting wages for assistant teachers are about $1 above minimum wage. As a result, assistants are frequently absent. Substitute assistants are paid just as badly, so when an assistant is gone, no one shows up for the day. We then either end up teaching up to 20 kids on our own (which is against the law but we do it anyway) or picking off students above 10, Hunger Games style, to go to other classrooms. We spend tens of thousands of dollars per student, but it's not going toward making healthy classroom or work environments.

This is the opposite of privatized as privatized implies a competition and a meritocracy. This is an unbelievably frustrating situation for those closest to the kids to be in. It's time to shine some light on this and if Betsy DeVos does nothing else than expose it and show parents the questions they should be asking, and alternatives they may have, it's a win for me

Does DCPS not have a program budget sheet? Where are the parents to advocate for smarter funding? DCPS has always been known for having reasonable class sizes. When did this change? Did the charter schools cause any of this inefficiency? Out here in the burbs we know where just about every dollar goes. It is all public information. And in our schools all promethean boards are paid for by the PTA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why don't you all Google how much it costs to educate a student in DCPS for a year and try to make sense of those $ against the outcomes? Seems like a system due for a shake up to me.

Much of that money is privatized; i.e., the people who work with children and have the most training in education (teachers) have very little say on where that money goes. As a brief example, I'm a preschool teacher. Every classroom in my building has Promethean boards, but starting wages for assistant teachers are about $1 above minimum wage. As a result, assistants are frequently absent. Substitute assistants are paid just as badly, so when an assistant is gone, no one shows up for the day. We then either end up teaching up to 20 kids on our own (which is against the law but we do it anyway) or picking off students above 10, Hunger Games style, to go to other classrooms. We spend tens of thousands of dollars per student, but it's not going toward making healthy classroom or work environments.

This is the opposite of privatized as privatized implies a competition and a meritocracy. This is an unbelievably frustrating situation for those closest to the kids to be in. It's time to shine some light on this and if Betsy DeVos does nothing else than expose it and show parents the questions they should be asking, and alternatives they may have, it's a win for me

Does DCPS not have a program budget sheet? Where are the parents to advocate for smarter funding? DCPS has always been known for having reasonable class sizes. When did this change? Did the charter schools cause any of this inefficiency? Out here in the burbs we know where just about every dollar goes. It is all public information. And in our schools all promethean boards are paid for by the PTA.

Each DCPS school has an LSAT (local school advisory team) of parents and community members that works with the principal to develop its budget. It is pretty transparent.

Charter school budgets are also public - but there isn't a process to involve parents in creating them. That is done by each school's board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The vouchers are only going to low income families. Think HHI under $50K. (if that)
How are these families going to afford Sidwell? Answer. They won't. They'll use them at the $10K Catholic Schools in NE and SE.

I agree with this. A voucher of $5,000 will not make a dent in a private school tuition of $35-40K. And, even with a respectable amount of financial aid, there are still lots of add ons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Charter school budgets are also public - but there isn't a process to involve parents in creating them. That is done by each school's board.

Charters could, if they wanted, elect to be transparent and include parents in decision-making. I don't know the nuts and bolts, but I know of at least one that has substantial parent input (and also requires volunteer hours). The parents are able to be party to discussions and vote on decisions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. None of the private schools in the top or middle tier are going to take these vouchers. #BelieveMe

Bullshit. It immediately stretches their financial aid. Even if an elite private only has a dozen low income kids, those kids are going to receive voucher checks for $1X,000 each. Solid $120,000-plus in free cash.

Once a school takes state/taxpayer money, it is accountable to the state/fed govt for how those funds are used. The state can make rules that restrict academic freedom in those schools. School vouchers will be welcomed at some private schools, but none of the top independent schools. That is why they are independent!

this. Independent schools are fiercely independent, particularly the top ones. Money always comes with strings attached so they limit exposure to this hazard as much as possible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. None of the private schools in the top or middle tier are going to take these vouchers. #BelieveMe

Bullshit. It immediately stretches their financial aid. Even if an elite private only has a dozen low income kids, those kids are going to receive voucher checks for $1X,000 each. Solid $120,000-plus in free cash.

Once a school takes state/taxpayer money, it is accountable to the state/fed govt for how those funds are used. The state can make rules that restrict academic freedom in those schools. School vouchers will be welcomed at some private schools, but none of the top independent schools. That is why they are independent!

this. Independent schools are fiercely independent, particularly the top ones. Money always comes with strings attached so they limit exposure to this hazard as much as possible.

The head of Riverdale Baptist was on the news yesterday welcoming the possibility of vouchers. That is the type of private school that will take them, not Sidwell, Potomac, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. None of the private schools in the top or middle tier are going to take these vouchers. #BelieveMe

Bullshit. It immediately stretches their financial aid. Even if an elite private only has a dozen low income kids, those kids are going to receive voucher checks for $1X,000 each. Solid $120,000-plus in free cash.

+1

#MakeSidwell/GDS/Cathedral Schools even richer than they are now.

Children of inner city low-income parents, refugees, and undocumented immigrants should be 50% of students at Sidwell, GDS, Cathedral to promote diversity and inclusiveness.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. None of the private schools in the top or middle tier are going to take these vouchers. #BelieveMe

Bullshit. It immediately stretches their financial aid. Even if an elite private only has a dozen low income kids, those kids are going to receive voucher checks for $1X,000 each. Solid $120,000-plus in free cash.

+1

#MakeSidwell/GDS/Cathedral Schools even richer than they are now.

Children of inner city low-income parents, refugees, and undocumented immigrants should be 50% of students at Sidwell, GDS, Cathedral to promote diversity and inclusiveness.

Lol. People attend Sidwell, GDS, and Cathedral to get away from these exact kids at their neighborhood schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. None of the private schools in the top or middle tier are going to take these vouchers. #BelieveMe

Bullshit. It immediately stretches their financial aid. Even if an elite private only has a dozen low income kids, those kids are going to receive voucher checks for $1X,000 each. Solid $120,000-plus in free cash.

+1

#MakeSidwell/GDS/Cathedral Schools even richer than they are now.

Children of inner city low-income parents, refugees, and undocumented immigrants should be 50% of students at Sidwell, GDS, Cathedral to promote diversity and inclusiveness.

Lol. People attend Sidwell, GDS, and Cathedral to get away from these exact kids at their neighborhood schools.

This is a truly horrible statement.

[Anonymous]

I don't necessarily think private school apps will rise due to vouchers, but rather that people are anxious that public schools will go down in quality. Privates will likely be a more consistent educational experience if public are in a state of upheaval

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. None of the private schools in the top or middle tier are going to take these vouchers. #BelieveMe

Bullshit. It immediately stretches their financial aid. Even if an elite private only has a dozen low income kids, those kids are going to receive voucher checks for $1X,000 each. Solid $120,000-plus in free cash.

Once a school takes state/taxpayer money, it is accountable to the state/fed govt for how those funds are used. The state can make rules that restrict academic freedom in those schools. School vouchers will be welcomed at some private schools, but none of the top independent schools. That is why they are independent!

Oh. So Beauvoir is not a top independent? You know not of what you speak. Google DC Opportunity Scholarship member schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe, but if you think you will get it paid for by taxpayers, think again.

Who is expecting to get anything paid for by taxpayers? We can afford to send DC to a $40K private. I am simply asking is if there will be a larger pool of applicants now that some students will have vouchers (and conceivably able to afford private school).

My dear, there are likely already voucher children at your school. I just checked the list and all of the major privates participate. The main changes will be for MD and VA residents, as more underprivileged kids compete for admission to privates. It will also decrease the quality of the student body at public schools in poor neighborhoods.