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<p>NCLB affects every state in the nation. Taxpayers in other states are also watching their savings dwindle. The real estate market bubble led to inflated real estate tax income for the states. The states spent the money, and wrote budgets which assumed the good times would go on forever. Well, they didn’t–and they never do. The punchbowl should have been taken away years ago–we’re enduring the hangover.</p>
<p>So what is the answer? Do we continue to cut education because basically we cannot afford it? I know, I know, too complex a question but there it is…what it may come down to is simply those that can afford to will just pay for private school, or that is what they’ve been doing all along :)</p>
<p>Having not come from a private school background, my husband and I followed a well trodden path of moving to an expensive town for the schools. i actually would have preferred a more rural leisurely atmosphere than a competitive snoburban 
environment. Yet I have been very disappointed in the schools. Considering the taxes we could save moving a few towns over (where the schools are not so good) seems like a good idea. We could then pay for a private high school. Problem is son is waitlisted and rejected, with better planning we could probably have worked out a much better education plan for our children. We feel kind of locked in to the public schools at this point with child entering 9th grade…</p>
<p>I would have very different advice for our family’s next generation should there be one…and the state of public education/taxation continues on its downward spiral.</p>
<p>Oh, I have had that conversation many times. It usually rears its ugly head right around college application time, when friends with equally bright children, who chose to keep them home at awful, local, rural public high school, realize that their children are going to have less options. I have learned to become absolutely mute when the topic turns to the college process. One (former) friend gave me a big lecture last year on how their poor child was going to be stuck going to the state university because they couldn’t "afford"private high school. Yes, they have a gorgeous house, SUVs, big sailboat, summer house, trips to Europe, but somehow finding a way to get their kid a good high school education was out of the question. I find that the “elitist” lecture is usually rooted in bitterness. I couldn’t be happier with the choice we made, but have learned to keep my mouth shut about it. Unless asked.</p>
<p>What I don’t understand, though is if you know you live in an area with substandard schools how come the plan from the beginning is not private? We made the choice to live where we live because of the schools. If we lived somewhere else we could afford some of the options you mentioned below — it seems like most people in my town live here for the public schools.</p>
<p>The issue I’ve found is that I don’t think they have lived up to their billing…</p>
<p>Flowers123- our plan was always public K-8, then private. We knew about the wonderful private options because of family tradition. We were very lucky to get into the prep school world with FA right before the economic meltdown, however we did have a legacy connection. I’m not sure it would have worked out for us even one year later. For those of you still looking at public options for next year, I recommend supplementing with CTY and summer programs. I wish I had better advice for those of you in waitlist limbo- I really feel for you.</p>
<p>Amazing to hear all these stories. It helps dull the pain of feeling like a pariah, but the lack of viable solutions is disheartening. As a fairly public figure I get lots of opinions about abandoning the schools that boggle my mind. I look to friends who at least try to understand our decision but find that group dwindling. We are going to be homeschooling next year and hoping for BS 2012. It is very scary – good to know about CTY. I’d love to get PMs from other homeschoolers.</p>
<p>In our case it came down to choosing the best option for our daughter. She got admitted into the top private schools in D.C. and the local magnet school (pretty well ranked nationally). BS has the programs that will get the best out of her. It is not for all the kids. What the other parents think, I pretty much don’t care. If we get weird looks we tell them that she was “conducting” experiments with the dogs and then laugh in their faces. They are not the parents, even if they are your friends, they have no business on having an opinion about your kids’ future.</p>
<p>@EHParent: Good response! Could it be that other parents view your decision as an implicit critique of the choices they’ve made for their kids? Hmmm</p>
<p>I have definitely had some negative reactions. But I am not overly surprised.
I get two reactions “how wonderful- lucky her”- meant sincerely or not- or " Ooooh, we would NEVER send our child away" - insert face of abject horror.
Since we are NOT going around assaulting people with our daughter’s news it is usualy rumor mill information dissemination and the comments are ALL unsolicited.
I however feel no need to justify my decision. People will feel what they feel, that is their right. We made the best decision for our D based on many variables, and it is one we stand behind. I feel no need to explain it to anyone, and in any case, whatever I say, they will go home and say “did YOU HEAR???..?” anyway! LOL</p>
<p>My response, if forced to respond, is to say that it is one of the most unselfish decisions I have had to make so far as a parent. This isn’t about me, how much I will miss my daughter, how it will affect her brother and father, etc. This decision is about my daughter and what she needs - having her come to us with a request to explore BS options in a community where this is almost never done, and watching her handle the application process, interviews, etc. far better than I know I could have at her age - all confirms to me that she is not only ready to go but that it is in her best interests to do so. Keeping her home because I don’t want her to go would be kind of cruel in a way and also very self centered. Of course, I don’t say all of that but I do say that I am following my child’s needs and interests, over my own.</p>
<p>Education1st, your post reminds me of something I said to a stranger once when he asked me “How could you DO that?!?!” I said simply, “It’s not about me.”</p>
<p>The one thing that really bugs me though, is when school officials say that it is just a personal choice. Though it is a choice our family made, it was made primarily because of the lack of local options. But they look at it as if we simply think the local public school isn’t good enough. Well, duh! When you have teachers openly admit that they aren’t trying to teach your child, who would think that’s “good enough.” Truth is, we are forced out.</p>
<p>There’s an old school and misplaced attitude about troubled kids, bad parents, etc. who go to BS and these people can’t accept that there are numerous, positive reasons to send your kids to BS. For us it’s very specific to who our D is, who we are as parents, and what she needs to thrive. She’s an only child who will greatly benefit with an extended family of really close friends. The BS provides a social-learning atmosphere that we cannot come close to providing at home. The faculty create an environment where enormous challenges develop the child in ways that local schools can’t–just to name a few. We ended up only applying to one BS school because it fit what our D needs so well, it was a no-brainer. We knew that if she did not get in, she would be going to our area’s top day school and we would have a few big challenges as parents to overcome and adapt to. Thankfully, we got lucky and she got in.</p>
<p>Let’s play devil’s advocate - is there anything people cannot learn in college that they have to learn through BS? If it is the social aspect or love for learning, I really don’t think BS has a monopoly. So what is it?</p>
<p>Jaw dropper yesterday was that DS’s substitute teacher told him that his chosen BS is elitist. </p>
<p>It’s bad enough for us to get negative responses from other parents, but for a kid to get that kind of comment from a teacher???</p>
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<p>I’d actually report that to the head of school. Any adult who makes a disparaging comment about a student’s personal life (be it family, extracurricular activities or, as in this case, choice of school) should not be teaching, even temporarily.</p>
<p>GMTplus7- We heard it from our PRINCIPAL “there’s a perfectly good high school in in town!” LOL. Luckily the teachers had seen the recommendation forms before, and were supportive.</p>
<p>My son’s guidance counselor pulled him out of class last year to tell him that he could get as good of an education there as he could at Exeter or Groton. We still laugh about that.</p>
<p>Our daughter’s teacher joked to the class (in front of her) that she was being sent away because * “her parents didn’t love her”.* She responded without missing a beat, “No, I’m sending myself away so I can get a decent education” - something she repeated when interviewed by local reporters who were fascinated she was choosing that path on her own.</p>
<p>As our city continues to fire teachers, close schools, and pretty much muck up what few things were working, guess who is having the last laugh?</p>
<p>To put myself another person’s shoes… hearing ‘leaving here to get better education or decent eduation’… automatically makes people think ‘we remain here for worse/undecent education’. or to teachers/counsellors, it gives a message that you’re doing your job wrong… so people get offended if we give ‘elite education’ lecture. We should be considerate also.</p>
<p>That’s why we decide to reveal our secrete at the end of this semester, except a couple of people who should know about this. It will be difficult for other people to be happy about My C’s leaving. I will throw a farewell party in August… maybe at that time everybody in this twon may know that.</p>
<p>prepDady - Any teacher who would tell a 13 or 14-year old - in front of her entire class! - that she was being “sent away” because her parents didn’t love her deserves to be offended . . . if not fired!!!</p>
<p>Kudos to ExieMITAlum’s daughter for putting that teacher in his place!</p>