do you think it is fair for maryland and virginia people to be taking up spots

[Anonymous]

Private schools do offer some socioeconomic diversity but we must realize that their business is primarily to offer a top notch education to people who are willing to pay a lot of money for it. Therefore even in seeking diversity they must put that first and seek those children who will maintain their standards. Those children are very unlikely to be the kids of drug addicts.

[Anonymous]

Not to be the petunia in the onion patch here, but the push for socioeconomic diversity is a hard one for me. It's not that I don't think it is a wonderful goal, but when asked to give LARGE amounts of money (the schools seeks thousands) to a worthy cause to help lower income families ... my first priority is to give that money to food banks, homeless shelters, job-training, etc. Helping a middle-class family making approximately 80K to send their DC to a lovely private school is just not a priority for me, even though I agree that the wealthy kids benefit from being around less-wealthy kids. Is it just me??

[Anonymous]

I think there are probably some examples of public schools being less diverse socioeconomically than some private schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To the PP- I am sorry that your public school is frightening and not an option. But, you must have known this when you moved into your house... You took a risk...

I did know this when we purchased the house. What I am at fault for is assuming that we would be able to get our child into a private school. 100% my fault. Now, I have no options.

Oh come on, if you live in NW DC you have options at least until middle school. The public schools are not "fantastic" but there are ok. A year or two in one will not do any harm and you can always keep applying to private schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not to be the petunia in the onion patch here, but the push for socioeconomic diversity is a hard one for me. It's not that I don't think it is a wonderful goal, but when asked to give LARGE amounts of money (the schools seeks thousands) to a worthy cause to help lower income families ... my first priority is to give that money to food banks, homeless shelters, job-training, etc. Helping a middle-class family making approximately 80K to send their DC to a lovely private school is just not a priority for me, even though I agree that the wealthy kids benefit from being around less-wealthy kids. Is it just me??

For us, we want our DC in an excellent private school. We were not aware of this issue of creating a scholarship fund for lower income families until our DC started at the school but we actually think it is a good idea to open the opportunity up for people who are equally desiring of it but less able to afford it and we have supported the fund financially also.

[Anonymous]

In reply to "petunia" I just hope the scholarship funds are aimed at people way below the $80k level. There are thousands of young bright children below the poverty level in DC and I would hope that private schools are giving some of them a chance. I've seen parochial schools doing it (they have a long distinguished history of doing this in NY) and hope it's done here too.

Also, if the private school is located in the District, I would hope that it's first priority re: scholarships would be for needy children who live in DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In reply to "petunia" I just hope the scholarship funds are aimed at people way below the $80k level. There are thousands of young bright children below the poverty level in DC and I would hope that private schools are giving some of them a chance. I've seen parochial schools doing it (they have a long distinguished history of doing this in NY) and hope it's done here too.

Also, if the private school is located in the District, I would hope that it's first priority re: scholarships would be for needy children who live in DC.

where does the middle class fall in all of this? someone making 80-100k a year would have a hard time paying 25k for private school, and more if they had more children. so where is the middle class represented in all of this? they are not really. it seems like the rich and the poor who get scholarships. i think the middle class should be represented as well at these schools. it doesn't need to be complete extremes. do middle class kids receive scholarships as well?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In reply to "petunia" I just hope the scholarship funds are aimed at people way below the $80k level. There are thousands of young bright children below the poverty level in DC and I would hope that private schools are giving some of them a chance. I've seen parochial schools doing it (they have a long distinguished history of doing this in NY) and hope it's done here too.

where does the middle class fall in all of this? someone making 80-100k a year would have a hard time paying 25k for private school, and more if they had more children. so where is the middle class represented in all of this? they are not really. it seems like the rich and the poor who get scholarships. i think the middle class should be represented as well at these schools. it doesn't need to be complete extremes. do middle class kids receive scholarships as well?

There are families on $150k on financial aid though probably not full aid.

[Anonymous]

Petunia here. I think people may have misunderstood me. I really do think that scholarship assistance to help kids go to excellent schools is wonderful and I do participate in these efforts. It's just that I worry about the hierarchy of needs -- when so many poor families have trouble finding food for dinner, money for heat in the winter, and so forth, is the best use of my $2,000 to assist with education costs for one child, or is it better going to the other charities that try to serve so many. I'm obviously a bit conflicted.

[Anonymous]

Hi Petunia. I'm 14:40 and yes, I think I did misunderstand you, sorry. FWIW, I am a bit conflicted too. There are so many poor people in DC. I used to work for an environmental group - a very wealthy non-profit - and I was even conflicted by that. Should the money go toward food and shelter or to saving a LOT of land (or towards scholarships for "not-poor" people).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:where does the middle class fall in all of this? someone making 80-100k a year would have a hard time paying 25k for private school, and more if they had more children. so where is the middle class represented in all of this? they are not really.

Private schools have always been the preserve of the well-to-do and the occasional deserving scholarship boy (to use old-fashioned language). No one has a right to an expensive private education. Like a vacation house or a full-time housekeeper, it's an amenity that many cannot afford. Is that fair? Maybe not in some fundamental sense, but given the many excellent public education alternatives that are available to middle class families, it does not rise to the same level of unfairness as, say, the fact that many people cannot afford basic medical care.

I do think that the schools benefit from having middle-class families, but that's a separate issue.

[Anonymous]

DC residents should definitley get preference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:do you think it is fair for maryland and virginia students to be taking up many of the spots in our "neighborhood" private schools. it seems as though they have many good school options for private and public schools in their areas. i don't know, it never occurred to me until i keep hearing of all of these people who live in va or md with the really great schools being admitted to the private schools that are literally next door to my house and we don't have a public school option. just thought.

Well these are private schools and not publicly-funded schools. Private schools are a business and they need revenue to meet their expenses. If parents choose to shell out $26K+ annually on tuition, it's their prerogative. I don't see an issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not to be the petunia in the onion patch here, but the push for socioeconomic diversity is a hard one for me. It's not that I don't think it is a wonderful goal, but when asked to give LARGE amounts of money (the schools seeks thousands) to a worthy cause to help lower income families ... my first priority is to give that money to food banks, homeless shelters, job-training, etc. Helping a middle-class family making approximately 80K to send their DC to a lovely private school is just not a priority for me, even though I agree that the wealthy kids benefit from being around less-wealthy kids. Is it just me??

I have to say that I am somewhat conflicted with the idea of offering financial aid. We pay full freight, and make many sacrifices doing so. However, families that we know who are on financial aid somehow have access to things that we don't (i.e., renovating a home, expensive summer camps, spring break vacations, etc.) Many of these kids dress far better than my kids do. We give to the annual giving campaign (which supports operating expenses...though I think has a financial aid line item as well) but don't participate in the auction (which totally supports financial aid).

[Anonymous]

I think it is very unfair the MD & VA refuses to pay taxes for its workers who work in DC; yet, many of the same people take DC kids spots at our elite privates. Stay home and keep your SUVs there.