The public school system in BC is heating up. On one side, the Teachers - no contract for years because the one they had before was overturned by the Government (NOT the courts), no limit on class sizes, reduced funding, schools closing, pissed off public. On the other, the Government - trying to balance their budget, closing schools, pissed off public. It's a gong show, and I'm completely biased toward the Teachers on this one, so I'm not going to even comment on the labour unrest going on. Especially since I have many friends who are teachers in the public system and I believe in what they're fighting for.
No, this post is about Public vs Private schooling. Why? Because a local tv station posted this question on their Facebook page today: Do you think private school funding is hurting public education?
First of all, this comment completely divides parents. Instead of bringing us together to find ways to help our children navigate the new world - and really, this IS a new world to us - this question splits us into factions of Private vs Public.
The comments blew me away. Misconceptions, vitrolic remarks about 'privilege'... it was every second post easily. First off, some clarifications:
There is no 'private', it's Independent. Which means, away from the main. Where I live has an interesting School District: there are many public schools which went from Elementary (K-4) - Middle (5-8) - Senior (9-12) in a District with an elected School Board and no 'catchment' regulations, to Elementary (K-7) - Senior (8-12) in a District with a fired Board and a government appointed Supervisor making the decisions and a catchment system that is under way.
There were two French Immersion schools, one in the South End and one in the North, where students were immersed in Elementary, and in a 'track' in a bilingual school for the remainder of their school life. There still are two schools, but they're different ones and they're bilingual, not immersion. The Government has cut the local budget by thousands each year citing lowering enrollment and yet there are still tons of kids in the schools.
And each school, no matter where, has a PAC who works hard to fundraise for the unique needs of the school (this in response to the "Let the private school fund itself through the PAC like a public school does" comment). All things being equal, public school PACs often raise more funds than the Independent school, primarily because the parent base is much larger.
How do I know? Because the Independent schools are doing awesome. In our SD, there are the following Independent Schools:
- Waldorf K-12
- Waldorf/Montessori inspired K-6
- Christian K-12
- Non-denominational K-12 (girls only from 9-12)
- Catholic K-12
- Co-ed College Prep 8-12
- Co-ed University Prep 9-12
- Co-ed International BA Intro 9-12
Not to mention all the kids who are Home Schooled and not even 'enrolled' in a school other than on paper.
The students who go to the Independent schools receive 50% LESS funding than those who go to public school. The parents still pay school taxes for public schools, even though their children don't go to those schools.
Many of the parents who answered that loaded question send their children to an Independent school. Do they have 'disposable income' as was mentioned in a reply? Probably. But I sure don't. Not any more. My reasons have very little to do with income as it happens. I can't afford a pot to piss in.
My oldest can't be in a class of more than 15 kids or she'll end up catatonic in the corner. She can't handle change easily. When with a bunch of people, she feels like prey. She doesn't get bullied for her differences, she gets embraced and protected. My youngest has focusing difficulties. She's in a class of 19 and handles it fine, but she needs the extra one-on-one to help her feel connected. She has problems in her class, but the teachers are on top of it and give her proactive solutions to help her feel in charge of her learning.
And I pay a shitload of money to ensure that. Money I don't have. Money I COULD use for a vacation each year, but can't afford. Money we could use to pay off the mountain of debt I have, but chose to put toward our children's futures instead. Even with the subsidy we're blessed to get each year, I'm still paying almost as much as my mortgage for 10 months to make sure my kids have a better start than I did. Many of the parents in our school work two jobs to put their kids through, and it's one of the less expensive options out there. Not to mention I pay for bussing, or I drive 30 minutes each way to get them into class on time and picked up on time (otherwise I pay for after school care too).
Our teachers get paid less than public school teachers. They never go on strike. They put in extra hours and coach teams, teach more than just their homeroom class, spend their lunches and recesses supervising children. They work hard to make sure each kid is special and keep in constant contact with the parents.
Everything the public school teacher WANTS to do and what they went into teaching TO do. But ours go in knowing they have a contract and it's not going to be ripped up by the administration just because they want to save some money in the running of the school.
Those of us with kids in Independent schools are blessed. Our children are getting the education they require and they're learning in a safe and constant environment. Every parent deserves that, no matter the school they enroll their children in.
As a parent, you always want better for your kid. If you can give them better than what you had, you do. Better nutrition, better home, better clothes, better lifestyle, better education.
Pitting parent against parent is a horrible tactic. "Public school funding" is a myth and a half-truth. There's funding, but it's HALF of public school funding. How can it "harm public schools"? It can't.
What DOES harm public schools is labour unrest and the government reducing the budgets they issue to those schools.
Public schools are harmed when teachers are treated like crap and end up on stress leave for putting on a Play Around The Solstice and parents get their panties in a knot because THEY don't want any religion at all in the school and the other parents get the brush off from the School District.
Public schools are harmed when the students don't know what school they're going to end up at from year to year and the parents have had enough so they pull their kids and put them into an Independent school to give their children continuity and stability.
Public schools are harmed when busses aren't 'free' and the parents have to pay user fees, but they're not told this until after the school year starts... and then the busses aren't even picking up the kids where they need to be picked up.
Public schools are harmed when a teacher has over 30 kids in a class and each one has a special need - emotional, physical or mental - and the teacher's aid is only in the class for half a day three times a week. The child, however, is in the class for the full day, five days a week.
So, spare me the "Us vs Them" rhetoric, the "if you can afford private school you're rich and don't need any help" bullshit, the "private school is ruining public school funding" crap. The 'holier than thou' attitude from a public school parent.
We're all parents. We're all in this together for the betterment of our children. I send my kids to a school that works for THEM, not for ME. If there was a public school that had small class sizes, teachers who were concentrating on the children and not their contract... I'd be all over it. But there isn't. So I don't. And my reasons are the same reasons as yours - you're doing what's best for your child.
