But Sibson's mention of Hutterites and public schools got me thinking. Nearby schools like Oldham-Ramona and Montrose can insulate themselves from the governor's consolidation pressures by counting Hutterite colony kids in their enrollments. (Of course, they also then spend resources on those colony schools, so it's no free ride.) What if there were other populations of students not attending the public schools but whom the small districts could claim in their enrollment to ward off forced consolidation?
What if school districts could count homeschoolers in their enrollment?
I know there's some tension between the homeschool crowd and public education. Getting them to sit at the same table might be as hard as getting Sibson and Epp to break bread together. But here's the plan:
- School districts get homeschooling parents to officially enroll their kids in the district.
- Homeschool parents still get to keep their kids home and educate them as they see fit within current requirements.
- School districts may "enroll" homeschool students outside their geographical boundaries.
- The school district gets full state aid for each "enrolled" homeschooler (approx. $4500-$5000, depending on school size, as calculated by the state aid formula).
- The school district disburses $1500 to each enrolled family per school-age homeschooled student.
- Enrolled homeschool families can receive reimbursement from the school district for any verifiable (bring your receipts!) expenditures for educational resources not available from the school district. Reimbursement shall not exceed the difference between total state aid per pupil and the initial $1500 parental disbursement.
- Example of funding: Bob and Mary homeschool two kids. The family "enrolls" the kids in the public school district. The school district receives $4900 in state aid for each student; thus, the enrollment of Bob and Mary's kids brings the district an additional $9800 from the state. The school district gives Bob and Mary a $3000 disbursement ($1500 for each student) at the beginning of the school year. Bob and Mary spend $10,000 on educational books, CDs, equipment, and field trips to the zoo, the state legislature, and the Homestake Lab. Upon receipt of receipts from Bob and Mary, the school district will reimburse the family for $6800 ($9800 of state aid minus initial disbursement of $3000) of those educational expenses.
- School districts receiving state aid for "enrolled" homeschoolers must permit those homeschoolers to participate in all extracurricular activities.
Small schools should love this plan because it gives them one more way to insulate themselves against consolidation pressures from Pierre. Point #3, the open-enrollment plank, also makes it possible for the smaller schools to advertise and compete for enrollees from larger markets. That competition will urge districts to keep the paperwork and other complications to a minimum. And odds are the schools will still come out ahead financially: I'm taking a wild guess, but not every homeschool family is going to max out the available reimbursement for spending on educational materials.
Homeschool parents should love the plan because it makes available more resources for educating their kids. They can also homeschool their kids but still support their public school and community. They won't catch heck from neighbors saying, "If you homeschool your kid, the public school will have to consolidate, and then the town's economy will dry up!"
See? Even Sibby can spark some creative thinking. And even public schools and homeschool advocates can work together to educate all kids and protect their communities from the big government that South Dakota Republicans keep expanding.
*By the way, the real secularists trying to brainwash our children are the corporations, the purest atheists of all, who know no God but filthy lucre.
So, we include Colony Students who take on-line high school classes from the comfort of their colony, never setting foot in the schools of the District they are counted in? Some countries and religions don't respect women and limit the educational opportunities, allowing girls to be educated only to the eighth grade, then the young women are matched up and forced to work in servitude, bearing children, cooking, cleaning and taught to be subservient for the rest of their lives, not allowed to leave their community or given the educational opportunity to provide for themselves outside their group. Does it sound like a religious cult? Oh wait, that happens every day in the Hutterite Colonies which our school districts support and draw revenue from in their student counts. So the State of South Dakota sends money to our local districts and allows them to count these students who have similar freedoms to David Koresh and his followers in Waco, Texas. Does that seem wrong?
ReplyDeleteIn Madison, home schooled students are encouraged to take classes in the district. In fact, home-schooled students who want to participate in activities like chorus, band, etc., actually create a limited income to the district, pro-rated to the amount of time they are in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteSo you're just essentially advocating giving homeschool parents a subsidy from the state. Are you high right now?
ReplyDeleteHigh? Never. I'm just looking for a workaround for small schools trying to avoid forced consolidation.
ReplyDeleteSubsidy for homeschool parents? Think of it as fair compensation. Homeschool parents are taking on a big responsibility, doing the public school's job for them. Plus, under this plan, homeschool parents are helping the school stay open and independent. Both sides benefit, and why not? Public schools and homeschoolers don't have to be enemies. They can work together to keep their schools and communities healthy and growing.
Anon#2: See? The school and homeschoolers can work together for mutual benefit. Thanks for the example!
ReplyDeleteAnon#1: The religious side of the issue is problematic. Those online courses, like Chester is doing -- are they available only to the men? If so, then yeah, we've got a problem. A big question: does our funding of such programs perpetuate problems for women, or would we do more harm by pulling out our involvement completely?
ReplyDeleteChester's online program is available to any hutterite who seeks to continue his or her education past the 8th grade. My understanding is that it is not exclusive to gender.
ReplyDeleteBut, Chester is the exception. Any district that educates students at Hutterite colonies has a school there with a teacher or teachers generally in a one-room atmosphere.
Did Governor Rounds leave Anon#3's message? Sounded like someone who's pockets were about to be raided! And what's wrong with blogging while you're high? High on Life doesn't mean high on any foreign substance, does it?
ReplyDeleteAs someone who has homeschooled, I do not know of any family that can afford to, or does, spend 10,000 on educating their children. These families not only know how to educate their children well, they also know how to do it on a fraction of what public schools spend.
ReplyDeleteThere would have to be a definate clause in the contract that the district would not interfere with what and how the children are taught, beyond what is required already (which is standardized testing every two years).
Unfortunately, this would not help your schools up their numbers that much, even in the Madison area you would probably add only 20 students. For a smaller school like Rutland, one or two students wouldn't make much difference to those who want to close small schools.
I would really encourage people to talk with a homeschooling parent and find out what their days are really like, how much money they spend, how much time it takes to teach the lessons and do the learning, AND how much time the parent (usually Mom, but not always) puts into finding curriculum and developing lessons.
I think that Chester's plan to up their numbers by including Hutterites has one flaw. And that is age. The state should not be paying money to districts for students over age 21. And that is what is happening in Chester. State aid to education should be only for those students under a set age, say 19, 20, or 21. Otherwise it's just a tricky way around the system, clever but not right. Seems that was proposed to be fixed in the last legislative session, but didn't pass. I'd like to know why???
ReplyDelete