Let's talk about schools...public? private? other?
teacherjess
member
Our lease is up at the end of the summer and DH and I are trying to decide if we want to buy or rent some more until we are sure of where we want to buy.
School districts are a big deal to me, but DH and I are VERY torn on where we want Leah to go to school. We were both raised in Catholic schools and obviously we teach in Catholic schools, but the Catholic grade schools in Dayton are suffering in a way the ones in Cincinnati don't seem to be. They are just closing left and right. I'm not comfortable with the idea of putting her in a school that I'm not sure will still be around five years later. Also, the tuition would be a significant financial burden to us if we plan to have more than one child. On top of that, we are not particularly religious.
For those reasons, we had decided to just move into a district with good public schools. But now DH is having second thoughts because the Cath. school near his job is excellent. So now we are torn and I can't figure out if we should hold off on buying a house until we know more about our choices for schools, or what to do.
I feel like an idiot considering we are two teachers...you'd think this would be such an obvious choice. So I thought I'd see what everyone else's though processes are. Do you know what kind of schools you are sending your DC or DCs to already? If you care to share, what is your thinking behind this choice?
Re: Let's talk about schools...public? private? other?
Griffin 10/2007
Schools are big deal to dh and I as well, and we're in a similar position. We don't have it figured out either (and we're both educators too!). The solution is selling the house and moving, but in this economy we don't want to take that kind of hit on our house. Add to it that we'd get a fraction of the house we have now for the same price in the district we want to be in. Don't get me wrong, the school district we live in is a good district, it's just not one we want to send Brandon to. It is important to me that we live in the district our kids go to school, so sending him to the district I teach in isn't something I really want to do. This is because I want Brandon to live close to where his friends live... and let's face it, your school determines your friends. It is also important to me to be in a district from K-12 unless there are drastic circumstances. Curriculums are designed from the ground up, and I've seen too many students struggle when they change schools both academically due to holes in the curriculum as well as socially. No two school districts are identical in terms of how they set things up academically, so any time you move there are going to be holes. I don't want to have to go through that. We're near certain we want a public school, provided we're in the kind of district we want. I'm a proponent of great public schools because of all the resources they can provide due to their size.
Reasons for not wanting the district we currently reside- I don't like the fact that they've changed directions a few too many times (small schools, not small schools, etc...), there are no set spelling lists at the elementary level, and the district has a climate where it's the teachers against the board and thus the administration. Other reasons for wanting to move, which are slightly more selfish- we'd be closer to IL's, which means easy childcare options if needed. In addition, dh graduated from that district and I student taught there. I don't want Brandon to go through the district that I teach in- mainly because I don't want him to have to go to a school that his mom teaches in when he reaches high school. I want him to be his own person if that makes any sense.
I think there are great Catholic schools out there, but there are also some not so great ones. I think the great ones have a big enough population to sustain themselves because there is more of an admission process, ya know? The ones that have less than stellar reputations are struggling with enrollment, and as a result are suffering. The same thing is happening here to some degree. You just only hear about the top notch Catholic schools.
I don't think it's an easy decision, and personally I might start looking in the districts you are interested in and see if there is a house in your price range that you want. It is a great time to buy, so why not look? If you can't find what you want, then renew your lease or find another rental. You still have some time. GL!
I'm not Catholic and neither is DH, but I went to Catholic schools from 3rd grade through 12th. I'm also not particularly religious. I have thought about whether or not to send DD to Catholic schools as we live 5 minutes from the one I attended for junior high, but we also moved to a school district with pretty good schools so that we'd have the option of either. We are leaning toward public schools mostly now for monetary reasons because I don't think we could afford more than one child in private schools.
I think the bonus though of the Catholic school is the smaller size and I do personally feel that having religion class, Catholic or not, was important and I actually knew more than my friends at church who were in public school. Uniforms though don't make a difference to me at all and I was probably exposed to just as much sex and drugs as you get in a public school (people had sex in the chapel in HS, lol).
It really is a very personal choice though. I got a really good education and did well in college because of that, but so did a lot of other people from public schools. You could always move to an area with good schools so that you have the option when the time comes.
From another perspective, one of my coworkers just moved to a good school district and chose to move her kids out of Catholic schools into public. She wasn't happy with some things going on in the school administratively and her son, who is kind of shy and awkward, has actually found more friends in a bigger school where there were more kids like him than in the smaller school.
DH went to Catholic school and we had originally planned to switch my DD from public to Catholic, then have both boys follow and do K-12 at the same Catholic school.
However, we decided we didn't want to continue to live in this area (where we are now, close to the Catholic school). We did some looking and decided to move to a fantastic independent school district, because of the quality of the schools but also because we adore the area.
So, we switched my DD to the independent district and pay tuition for her to go there since we live out of district - and are in the middle of selling/buying, hopefully we'll be in the district by August so my son can start kindergarten there (w/o us paying more tuition).
ETA: and our thinking.... the quality of the curriculum and focus on the students as whole individuals (encouraging real learning, not just through book work and sticking to the state test material, opportunities for interesting extra curricular, also encouraging public service, etc) were the most important factors to me. The Catholic school is not bad at those things, just not as good as where we're sending them. Plus, I am not Catholic (though my DH is) and the religious aspect was not very important to me.
DD will go to public schools. She's in a really great district right now, but I'm not sure if she'll stay here or not. Depending on where I get a job, she may or may not go to the district where I teach.
I know I've mentioned this before, but I did a huge research project for my MAEd comparing public schools and private schools. I wish my old PC wasn't in storage so I could share it, but basically what it came down to is that there is no substantial academic difference between students who attend public and those who attend private. In fact, students who attend private schools typically test lower (testing is NOT an important factor for me) and some researchers have found that private schools often have higher rates of drug/alcohol abuse and teenage pregnancy.
My personal conclusion was that it just depends on what works for your family. Religion is not an important aspect for me. I've also realized that the "Excellence" rating given by the state really doesn't mean all that much. The most important criteria for me was classroom size, teacher education (public teachers are required to get a MAEd, many private teachers are not) and finding a school district that is willing to work with me regarding everything DD has been through.
DD's current public school has gone above and beyond to accommodate us and to ensure DD has a teacher that will meet her needs. Unfortunately, I hate living in the district.
Good luck. Selecting a school/school district was truly one of the hardest things I've done as a parent.
We bought our first house (the one we're in now) in a district we were OK with, but planned to move in five years to another local district that we thought was better. Well, the housing market stinks, so our original plan to move next spring is not looking likely. And the district we originally wanted to move to is not as appealing to us anymore, based on what some of my mom's former colleagues (she used to teach in that district) are saying. And the district we're in seems to be better than it was when we moved in, and there's a lot we like about it. So now our plan is to stay here for a few years and eventually move to another home in this district.
However, I went to Catholic grade school and high school and really wanted Ellie to attend Catholic schools. But with me SAH, it would be a lot of money to spend, especially if we have another child. And then there's the issue of where she'd go to high school. There's no way we can afford the high school I attended, and the other popular Catholic high school that the grade schools feed into is not really where we want her to be. And I do not really want to send her to 8 years of Catholic school, then a public high school. Plus, to send her to my former grade school, we'd have to move to a public school district we do not want to send her to, so that would require us to commit to Catholic schools, and we're not ready to do that. So while we're still open to sending her to Catholic grade school, we plan to live within a public school district we're happy with so we have some options.
Photo by Melissa Nicole Photography
I went to catholic schools all my life and DH did for most of his education even though he isn't catholic. I really want to send my children to private schools, but the cost is outrageous right now, and I can only imagine what it will be when they are ready for school....and more than 1!!!
So, my goal is to send them to a private school, and if I can't I am not sure what I will do because I am in the Cinti. public school district.
Jennie
I am a Catholic school teacher too (4th grade) in NKY, and I attended Catholic grade school and high school. My husband converted to Catholicism around the time we got married, so although he wasn't raised in Catholic schools, he really wants our children to attend Catholic school too. It's very important to me, although the tuition is a little scary, given the fact that a Catholic school teacher doesn't make heaps of money (you know this!). The good thing, though, is that staff members at my school can get free tuition for their kids. That's a huge perk, and obviously I love and value the school at which I teach, so Brady and our other kids will attend there, assuming things continue the way they've been. I would really love my kids to also attend Catholic high school (particularly the single sex schools my brothers and I attended), so I'm hoping there will be tuition incentives for diocesan teachers when the time comes.
Are there any tuition incentives in your diocese, by chance? It's worth asking, because you never know.
In the event that I ever leave the school where I teach now (and if we couldn't afford tuition at another Catholic school), we live in one of the best school districts in NKY, so we could utilize that. It's a tough decision, definitely, and I almost think that being a teacher might make it harder, because you've seen both sides, so you are more apt to overanalyze!
Regardless of if you decide to send Leah to public, parochial, homeschooling, e-schooling, boarding school, or outer space school, I would encourage you to buy your home in a good, reputable district with a history of being a good, reputable district in which the taxpayers support the schools. That way you protect your home value. Also, if something were to happen where you are forced to send Leah to public you will know she is in a good district.
I had to basically make this decision last year with Ryleigh starting school. We currently live in an "Excellent" school district (rated excellent for 10 years in a row) however I had always thought I wanted to send her to a catholic school. I went to catholic elementary school until 4th grade and then to "excellent" public schools. I ended up making the decision to send DD to the Catholic school, for a number of reasons.
1. Size- the public school here is quite large and would have the "normal" 20-something students per class, her current catholic class has 12 kids.
2. Full day/Half day - the public school only offered half day kindergarten and the catholic school offered only full day. I like the idea of the full day education and I think it helps them to adjust to all the years to come.
3. Financial - The money aspect of it was actually based on the full day/half day aspect. With the public school only being half day I would have had to find afterschool care for the other half of the day and the typical afterschool hours (I work full time) In my situation the public school would have actually cost me more than the catholic school once I added in all of the after-care I would need. Public school would have cost me around 6-7 hundred a month for all the after-care where with the catholic school I started out paying $295 a month for tuition and then $50 a week for the afterschool program. Now that we've become full parishioners I'm only paying $100.67 a month for tuition and still the $50 per week for afterschool (we got a parishioner discount and Father gave us a $1000 scholarship)
I was very worried making this decision because I did not know much about the Catholic school in the area since we had just moved here last April, and I knew that the public school was excellent. Now, 7 months in I am very very happy with my decision. I love her school and I love the small size of it. The teachers know me, the principal knows me, and I don't feel like just a number. Next year she'll be in 1st grade and I could send her to the public school for less money, but I am going to keep her in the private just because of the wonderful experience I've had so far.
Sorry if this was a book, I know how difficult this decision is.
I know this will probably be appalling to many of you, but we plan on sending our kids to CPS. Yes. Pick your jaws up off the floor.
We are firm believers in public schools. Both of us went to public schools and we want our children in a diverse educational environment. Our neighborhood school is montessori, so we'll see if that's the right learning style for our kids. Plus CPS has the magnet options so we have some choices.
Sure, it would be easier for us to move to Kenwood or whatever and send them to more consistently high performing schools, but we feel a responsibility to stay in the city and be active and involved parents in the public schools. We know there will be a wide variety of kids and families at the school and that's exactly what we want.
I also don't feel it's the 100% the schools' responsibility to educate my children. Involved, caring parents make a tremendous difference in a child's educational experience.
With all that said, it's a very personal decision. We aren't Catholic and a lot of the church's positions don't coincide with ours, so that would be a difficulty for me should our kids go to Catholic school.
Kristen- I wanted to let you know that I have friends who have done the same exact thing. They've sent their kids to CPS for the diversity and the number of schooling options they have. You are not alone in your decision, and I honestly believe jenna said it best- it's a matter of what you make of it, not the rating the school has. And you're right- all of this is a tremdously personal decision. There is no "perfect" place. Every district has its good points and not so good points. The hard thing is choosing one that works for you!
Thanks. We both have co-workers who have kids at Fairview (the German school) and several of the montessoris and are very pleased. Mike wants her to go to the high school at the Zoo (if she likes science). :-)
I think urban districts like CPS get a bad rap, as does Covington Independent for that matter (the district I work with in my job).
This exactly! We plan on moving to Clifton in the next 5-7 years and DH has his heart set on Leo going to Fairview German. If we are still in KY when Leo starts school he will probably go to Covington bc I teach there.
CPS for us, too! I teach in CPS. I was also thinking Fairview
Anyway, DH and I went to a large suburban school district. It was not very diverse at all. I love all that CPS offers. So many choices, intercessions, magnet schools and more. If we don't go through CPS, then we'll go through our home district where we live. I just really want diversity for our DS.
We did build in a suburban school district and we are glad for that, due to if we ever move. We may move into CPS at some point.
I heart you, Kristen.
I live in the Norwood School District. SIL's best friend is a teacher here and even she says we shouldn't send out kids to school here.
If we lived in a good district, I would send them to public school with no questions. We don't have the option of moving right now, so if we are still here in 3 years she will be off to St. Mary's.
Me too. I think any public school can be a great environment for most children. It's just the ones who don't have parents that advocate for them who fall through the cracks. Covington ranks up there with Highlands as some of the top schools for International Baccalaureate students.
We haven't entirely decided what we are going to do for DD. I went to public school, DH went to Catholic school. We're Catholic, however the Bishop is getting stricter and stricter and more involved with the schools and it's turning me off. I don't know much about the parochial elementary school she'd go to, and DH is not a fan of the Catholic high school that she'd go to. We live in Covington city limits but in the Kenton Co school district. Honestly, we have a few years to decide so we will hold off until then.
Well said. School is so much more than just academics in my opinion.
We live in Beavercreek and both DH and I went to Beavercreek schools K-12 and DH went 2-12. Both of us had different experiences, but good experiences. I like living in Beavercreek for lots of reasons and we plan to stay here unless something drastic happens. I also want Cecelia to go to school here.
I think parent support is one of the biggest factors when it comes to how your child does in school. I don't think where they go to school even comes close in comparision to how much their parents support their education, in most cases.
That being said, I do plan to be very involved in the schools that my DD will go to. I am planning to "choose" her elementary teachers. Just because my major was in Early Ed and I think those years lay the foundation for the rest of her schooling experience. I am going to do everything in my power to try to make those years positive for her.
Interesting responses! One of the things driving our decision is that DH and I never attended public schools-- not even public colleges. So we don't have that personal experience to base our decision on. I feel like even though we both know that with our beliefs and our personal experiences that public school is a better choice, it's also an unknown choice for us (and therefore scary). It's just such a big decision because school doesn't just impact a young child's life, it can make or break a lot of things. Such a big decision...
Thanks for the input, ladies. This gives us a lot to ponder...
I hate the pressure of being a teacher and trying to decide schools for my own DS.
We'll probably always stay with the public option b/c of $$ and we aren't catholic.
We moved out of an ok district last summer to a better one, but it is pretty big still. We feel comfortable with the public schools here and there are some options that we could still play with as DS gets older if we don't like exactly where he is at. I've had experience with lots of districts in the area and to be honest, I think many of them are comparable (suburbs, not rural schools).
Ry's private school has actually ended up being way more diverse than the public school would have been. That was definitely another selling point, especially since she is pretty diverse herself!
Her private school is actually affiliated with the Catholic Inner City Schools.
I realize I don't have children so of course this could change for me. But with me having taught for 5 years I think I have somewhat of knowledge especially with a bunch of friends in surrounding school districts. I think it's all a little subjective. I taught in one of the best ranked school districts in the area and I can tell you with absolute certainty that I will NOT send my children to that school under any circumstances. I was appalled at what the administration did in order to keep their "excellent rating." I was not willing to do some of those things because of my own personal morals which is ultimately why I left.
I do think that you live in a great school district and one of which DH and I would like to send our kids to if we went the public school route. Although I am not even sure that should qualify as public school
There are certain schools in the area I would not send my children to. Your DH works in a great school district and DH & I have talked about that district as a possibility. I think ultimately I want a school that doesn't have huge classes. I went to a small high school and a small college. I think there is something to be said for more one on one attention that students can get. That said, before going to college I had no experience with diversity whatsoever. Okay maybe that was a bunch of rambling but these are my feelings now. We basically have a list of schools we don't want to send our children to and a list we like. GL!!
This exactly, but here in Cincy. Well said, Rachel!
Agreed. Oakwood almost seems more like a private academy. One reason we aren't sure on sending DD to school here is because if we ever could afford a house here, it would be a teeny tiny one, and Leah would almost certainly be one of the poorer kids in her school, which is hard for me to think of her dealing with. I'd rather she be just one of the kids rather than the kid with the house the size of Barbie's house
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Kettering's got great schools but the houses is mainly older and I'd rather have a newer house so we aren't dealing with constant repairs. We've been leaning towards Springboro but the high school there is soooo big. Decisions, decisions...
Erin,
I agree that being a teacher ourselves certainly makes it a little more difficult in deciding where to send our LO to school. I am a firm supporter of public school education. DH and I were educated in the public school sector and continued throughout college and then grad school for me. We plan to move next spring to the district in which I teach. I think we have an amazingly diverse district (although some is more affluent than what we would be categorized as...) but there are so many opportunities as far as program/course offerings/extracurriculars, etc. that Madelyn could investigate. Our district also has great community support, and this is very important to DH and I.
I went to Springboro Schools, so if you have questions, I'd be more than happy to answer them! Although, I never attended the new HS building. I subbed there though before getting my current teaching position, and I noticed lots of changes within the district/overall city just due to its sudden boom in housing.
We're 99% sure our children will go to Catholic schools. We are practicing Catholics and want the teachings of our faith to be a daily part of our kids' curriculum. The only chance they would go to a public school would be if we were to move closer to DH's work where the public school system is outstanding. In that case, I'd have to strongly consider sending them to public school.
Mom to Lily Gayle 4.25.06 Charlotte Kathleen 3.27.09 Samuel Thomas ~8.4.12~
A-freakin'-men! Sadly, this is also the reason I left teaching.