Richmond Times Dispatch, Richmond, Virginia, 11 December 2006, Home-schoolers get help from technology
Nelson County has 11 families enrolled in its program. The curriculum is provided by K12 Inc., a company based in Herndon.
Home-schooling mother Laurie Richardson of Midlothian enrolled her children, Ben, 14, and Maia, 11, in Nelson’s virtual school last week.
…
The online courses from the Nelson Academy of Virtual Learning are free. The cost to Nelson County is about $5,000 per child, which is reimbursed by the state, Collins said.
“Ultimately, we’re paying for it with our taxes, but at least this way we’re getting something for our money,” Gunter said.
And those of us who pay taxes that support the schools but who have no way of recouping the payment, when do we ‘get something for our money?’
posted by Valerie
HEM
Helen
Tracy
mark
marynix
ann-lahrson-fisher
valerie
sandi
david
I just don’t really get why people’s heads don’t explode when they read these kinds of opposing sentences, especially in the SAME PARAGRAPH:
“The online courses from the Nelson Academy of Virtual Learning are free. The cost to Nelson County is about $5,000 per child. . . .”
Sooo….are the online courses FREE? Or do they cost $5,000 per child?
This is precicly why I have decided to switch to a virtual academy. Money. It is a financial strain to home school and if I can still be in control of what the kids are studying, then I see no reason for me not to switch. Not having to fill out all of the required paperwork and pay for standardized tests (that the public school kids do not pay for), turn in regular report cards… all of that I will be glad to say goodbye to. It is sad, though, because Iwill lose some flexibility and control by switching to a virtual public school. I will try it this next year and see how it works out, hopefully it will not be a different kind of hassle and it will be smoother, but I can not say for sure. All I know is that having me at home to teach my children has improved their social skills, made them more responsible, and increased their standardized test scores over 20%. To say that I can not receive $$$ for educating my children 20% better than a licensed teacher is assinine. I would have gladly taken 50% of what they give public schools. That would be just over $3,000 per child and we could do some real travelling to see places we were studying for that amount. It is a shame the the fiscally responsible and higher quality education does not get the financial support. Children first, my back side!
I still want to know when I get my compensation.
My family (my parents, and now me and my husband) have paid property taxes on the house I’m living in for over 25 years without ever having children in the local schools. My parents were retired when they bought the house, and my kids have been adults since we moved back here to live in the house. At one point, my husband and I were living in Europe while paying property taxes here in the U.S. (my mother lived here rent-free as caretaker).
*Under the model of ‘I get a personally-usable return on what I paid’* where is my compensation?
I raised my kids well enough that I have a 4-for-4 track record of college grad kids, three of whom were homeschooled (all but the doctor graduated with honors, but she made a respectable showing, and did it in 7 years instead of 8). I like traveling, and I’d love to take my grandkids to historic sites. I’m sure I could do well with my grandkids and to waste my experience is asinine. It is a shame that my proven techniques do not get financial support, especially since my husband and I have been paying into the system for decades with no personal return on the investment.
Given my public service in raising four upstanding taxpaying citizens, three of whom cost the government very little for their educations (nothing at all for their high school years), and one of whom was at a reduced rate given his parochial school years, where is my entitlement? Doesn’t ‘the government’ owe me as well? If not, why not?
I don’t think we (as a country) have had the discussion about whether public school is supposed to be _an_ education provided at public expense, or _the education each parent thinks is best_ provided at public expense.