Sharon77 Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 I have 3 high schoolers and the cost of the classes I want (I know I could them myself or not do them) is overwhelming. Online AP classes, language classes, math and science help (tutor as needed), it is all getting so costly. Especially since I have cyber school options in my state. All of it would be covered. And the one I am considering offers some customization. It is so tempting. What does the HIve think? Sharon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 I do know of families that have done either cyber school through the PS when they reached high school or enrolled in regular PS because of costs - high school curriculums and especially the AP texts and exams are expensive - or so mom could go back to work part-time. Finances have to be a consideration and if you have three high schoolers, that's a lot of money. You need to do what is best for your family. Everyone has a unique family dynamic and set of circumstances that has to be considered and you should not feel terrible if you need to do something else due to finances. I am surprised it doesn't happen even more due to the sluggishness of this economy and stagnant wages. :grouphug: Faith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nscribe Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 We know a lot of folks who wind up in some form of ps due to the costs. Usually it is that parents decide they don't feel comfortable teaching at the level, look to outsourcing, add up the bill and decide ps is the way to go. An interesting exercise: Pretend you could go wild and do exactly what you want for outsourcing, even add in a few nice extra's (laptops, microscopes...). Then, look at what is spent per pupil in the ps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 Can you enroll your child part time in your public cyber? Maybe they could take APs at the public school then still homeschool some of their other classes? In my mind, it isn't a big step from outsourcing all the classes to your choice of providers and outsourcing them all the a public cyber. You lose some choice and you gain financially. Only you can decide if that is a trade your family is willing to make. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen the RD Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 All I can say to this is that I am examining these very issues right now. We live in GA and I just talked to a mom with 2 high schoolers in our cyber school. She had really mixed feelings because the high school portion of this program is VERY new in GA and in the last 2 years it has been in a constant state of flux. She lamented that even the counselors didn't know what to recommend to students because of the continual changes in courses. When I add up what it's going to cost to outsource for next year, and the time requirements/gas to get to some of the courses, DH & I are questioning if that's the life we want for our family. Just letting you know you are not the only one! Jennifer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grantmom Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 This weighs on me also. I already work part-time, and finances are tight. I want for DS to be able to take advantage of so many things but everything is so expensive. It does kind of bug me how much money is spent per public schooled student, and to know that we see none of that. I can homeschool my child for way, way, way less than that! When I think about all I could do with that amount of money in a year's time, gosh we could travel and buy every curriculum we've ever wanted to try. Actually, I could even send him to private school for less than that. http://schoolsofthought.blogs.cnn.com/2012/06/21/which-places-spent-most-per-student-on-education/ And yet public schools are still suffering, don't have enough money, and don't pay teachers enough. This just makes you think so much, why is it like this? We cared for an elderly family member at home for a while. She could have gone to a nursing home and the government would have paid $6000 to $9000/month for her care. We could take care of her for significantly less than that. So it seems like the government should help someone out to be able to do that. They would SAVE money by doing that. But they don't. Why do institutions cost so much more per person than family-centered options, whether it's homeschooling or a nursing home? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 Cost is a factor for us. We're opting to do high school on a budget. Online classes will happen as we can budget, private tutors would only happen in language and if money presented itself. Books don't have to be expensive, there are plenty of options. Because I have more time than money, my planning takes higher priority. Also my daily interaction is more necessary, but that fits our educational philosophy anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in MN Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 Just remember that public school will cost the parent money, as well. In high school, there are fees for many things. It varies of course, but here are some things we've run into: - You'd probably need a hefty clothing budget (I've seen kindergarteners teased for not having new shoes in September, even in fairly low class neighborhoods), - school lunches are pricey or homemade lunches often cost more for portability, - transportation may cost a lot (our district won't bus high schoolers unless they pay or they are more than 2 miles from school, and if they drive they must purchase a parking permit), - there are athletic fees even if you don't participate (and much more $ if you do participate), - there is pressure to purchase yearbooks (over $100 here), - to attend dances and proms several times a year (each can cost $500 by the time you have an outfit, tickets, meal, photos, and silly things to give to your date like a tie or garter), - sometimes you must purchase things like workbooks and headphones yourself, - and there are school event fees which by senior year seem to be almost daily. - There are also fines for lost textbooks and parking violations -- at least if you have a kid like my oldest. If your choice is between outsourcing and sending to public school, maybe it will be cheaper in ps and maybe that's just another outsource option. But if your choice is between teaching at home and public school, I'm pretty sure you'd come out cheaper teaching at home even if it runs $1,000 per student. Plus, at the end of the year you'd likely recoup something through reuse or resale :) Julie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nscribe Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 In another thread it was asked how much someone should advise another potential homeschooler the minimum cost per year would be and the sum of $500.00 seemed to be the consensus. We spend a lot more than that per year, but most folks I know do not. I can't say that spending = success, because I have seen too many successes where the spending was not great. Some of the very best work we have personally done has been very inexpensive (which often leaves me questioning why I spend on what I do) Students in the PS are not working out of latest edition/brand new text books every year. Some schools do great labs, some may have nice lab facilities but barely use them for anything beyond what you could do in your kitchen with things you likely already have in you cabinets. The public libraries are generally better stocked than school libraries and just as open to homeschoolers. Many of the clubs in many public high school are not that productive. Yes there are sports, bands, choirs and art classes but those often have fees associated with them, trips and constant fundraisers. If a student can produce a competitive SAT/ACT score, that alone will open many doors. Not every science listed on the transcript must be one with a lab, many colleges seek only 1 lab science out of 3 or 4 and they don't even specify what the lab must be comprised of to count. Shopping ahead and really watching prices can mean the difference in having a book for $35 or $15 dollars. Time does =money savings. Even online course work can be found for less. Example, Thinkwell has AP classes that are less expensive than many others and many AP's/SAT 2's can be self studied. Also, cost can have a great deal to do with ultimate goals. How much should a homeschooler (or any schooler) need to spend to gain admission to a state college vs a particular private? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharon77 Posted February 16, 2013 Author Share Posted February 16, 2013 I do know of families that have done either cyber school through the PS when they reached high school or enrolled in regular PS because of costs - high school curriculums and especially the AP texts and exams are expensive - or so mom could go back to work part-time. Finances have to be a consideration and if you have three high schoolers, that's a lot of money. You need to do what is best for your family. Everyone has a unique family dynamic and set of circumstances that has to be considered and you should not feel terrible if you need to do something else due to finances. I am surprised it doesn't happen even more due to the sluggishness of this economy and stagnant wages. :grouphug: Faith It is comforting to know others have seen it happen. Looking at the cost of the AP classes are what is making me think. If I let each child take one class, it would cost me close to $3K (rounding up). Can you enroll your child part time in your public cyber? Maybe they could take APs at the public school then still homeschool some of their other classes? In my mind, it isn't a big step from outsourcing all the classes to your choice of providers and outsourcing them all the a public cyber. You lose some choice and you gain financially. Only you can decide if that is a trade your family is willing to make. No, they don't allow part time enrollment. You are right, it isn't a big step to put them into a public cyber from just paying for online classes. I have this one friend who put her son in ALL online classes for 11th and 12th grades. When I saw that (and how common it was), I asked her why she didn't just put him in the cyber. She said she still wanted to homeschool. huh? I was confused.He was doing all online classes. I saw no difference. We know a lot of folks who wind up in some form of ps due to the costs. Usually it is that parents decide they don't feel comfortable teaching at the level, look to outsourcing, add up the bill and decide ps is the way to go. An interesting exercise: Pretend you could go wild and do exactly what you want for outsourcing, even add in a few nice extra's (laptops, microscopes...). Then, look at what is spent per pupil in the ps. To do exactly what I want to do, it will cost us $8K this year. This is with a few online AP classes, tutors, curriculum and extracurriculars. The public school spends 13K per student. It just goes toward buildings and staff. All I can say to this is that I am examining these very issues right now. We live in GA and I just talked to a mom with 2 high schoolers in our cyber school. She had really mixed feelings because the high school portion of this program is VERY new in GA and in the last 2 years it has been in a constant state of flux. She lamented that even the counselors didn't know what to recommend to students because of the continual changes in courses. When I add up what it's going to cost to outsource for next year, and the time requirements/gas to get to some of the courses, DH & I are questioning if that's the life we want for our family. Just letting you know you are not the only one! Jennifer Thanks! :) This weighs on me also. I already work part-time, and finances are tight. I want for DS to be able to take advantage of so many things but everything is so expensive. It does kind of bug me how much money is spent per public schooled student, and to know that we see none of that. I can homeschool my child for way, way, way less than that! When I think about all I could do with that amount of money in a year's time, gosh we could travel and buy every curriculum we've ever wanted to try. Actually, I could even send him to private school for less than that. http://schoolsofthou...t-on-education/ And yet public schools are still suffering, don't have enough money, and don't pay teachers enough. This just makes you think so much, why is it like this? We cared for an elderly family member at home for a while. She could have gone to a nursing home and the government would have paid $6000 to $9000/month for her care. We could take care of her for significantly less than that. So it seems like the government should help someone out to be able to do that. They would SAVE money by doing that. But they don't. Why do institutions cost so much more per person than family-centered options, whether it's homeschooling or a nursing home? Because we are just paying other people a salary to do what we can do! Very timely thread for me. I was just looking at future options for GB and trying to figure out what I would do for high school. I'd love to be able to homeschool through high, however our state has few options for dual enrollment. The CC partnered up with certain schools and offer it there but nowhere else that I can see. The cost of hs through HS with foreign languages and labs is looking quite daunting. We have a very local magnet career and tech school that would suit him but I really don't want him to go to a B&M. We've tried online and it worked fine for him. :bigear: ETA: If I decided I couldn't afford it, I would go to an online charter school before going to a B&M. Thank you for sharing that. I'm seriously leaning that way too Just remember that public school will cost the parent money, as well. In high school, there are fees for many things. It varies of course, but here are some things we've run into: If your choice is between outsourcing and sending to public school, maybe it will be cheaper in ps and maybe that's just another outsource option. But if your choice is between teaching at home and public school, I'm pretty sure you'd come out cheaper teaching at home even if it runs $1,000 per student. Plus, at the end of the year you'd likely recoup something through reuse or resale :) Julie No, public B&M is out of the question for us. I know that would cost us more money, time and everything else. This is a online cyber. It is well established and well run. In another thread it was asked how much someone should advise another potential homeschooler the minimum cost per year would be and the sum of $500.00 seemed to be the consensus. We spend a lot more than that per year, but most folks I know do not. I can't say that spending = success, because I have seen too many successes where the spending was not great. Some of the very best work we have personally done has been very inexpensive (which often leaves me questioning why I spend on what I do) Students in the PS are not working out of latest edition/brand new text books every year. Some schools do great labs, some may have nice lab facilities but barely use them for anything beyond what you could do in your kitchen with things you likely already have in you cabinets. The public libraries are generally better stocked than school libraries and just as open to homeschoolers. Many of the clubs in many public high school are not that productive. Yes there are sports, bands, choirs and art classes but those often have fees associated with them, trips and constant fundraisers. If a student can produce a competitive SAT/ACT score, that alone will open many doors. Not every science listed on the transcript must be one with a lab, many colleges seek only 1 lab science out of 3 or 4 and they don't even specify what the lab must be comprised of to count. Shopping ahead and really watching prices can mean the difference in having a book for $35 or $15 dollars. Time does =money savings. Even online course work can be found for less. Example, Thinkwell has AP classes that are less expensive than many others and many AP's/SAT 2's can be self studied. Also, cost can have a great deal to do with ultimate goals. How much should a homeschooler (or any schooler) need to spend to gain admission to a state college vs a particular private? I agree with all your observations. I am just so tired of putting things together. Thank you all for your thoughtful replies. The costs I am facing are weighing heavily on my mind. Especially since I just got a tax bill. I know that there are alot of ways to cut costs. Such as self studying for an AP exam. But think about the work involved on the part of the parent. The research and organizing needed. I just don't want to do all that. I can't handle all of it, so I want to (and need to) outsource. And I live in a heavily regulated state, so there are costs with that too. It is so embittering. Especially when I am bled dry by taxes!!! BUT..... My kids want to continue the way we are and do not want to do cyber. You know, I homeschool cause i want to spend more time with my kids. But because I homeschool, I have no money to do anything with them. Everything we have goes toward school costs. If they did cyber, I would have more money to do things (expensive field trips, they've never been on an airplane). But they like what we are doing and they want to stay this way. UGH!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nscribe Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 It is comforting to know others have seen it happen. Looking at the cost of the AP classes are what is making me think. If I let each child take one class, it would cost me close to $3K (rounding up). ... To do exactly what I want to do, it will cost us $8K this year. This is with a few online AP classes, tutors, curriculum and extracurriculars. ... UGH!!! A single extracurricular can be 1500+ a year. An AP class can be 450-650 before you even buy prep materials and pay for the exam itself. It can add up very quickly so I can see those numbers. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 I have to admit I am finding the cost a bit daunting but I know even with my limited budget homeschooling high school is the best option for my kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloridaLisa Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 I have 3 high schoolers and the cost of the classes I want (I know I could them myself or not do them) is overwhelming. Online AP classes, language classes, math and science help (tutor as needed), it is all getting so costly. Especially since I have cyber school options in my state. All of it would be covered. And the one I am considering offers some customization. It is so tempting. What does the HIve think? Sharon Not tempting at all. For several reasons. First, as Julie pointed out, there are many real costs to a B & M school. I'm always gape-mouthed at what I hear (and recall): club costs, fundraising, band, yearbooks, field trips, school dances/talent shows/proms (ouch!!), sports, class ring, grad night, graduation announcements, teacher appreciation day, etc. And while many are elective costs, the expectations are hard to fight. Moreover, the other *costs* of sending my dc to a B & M school are the deal-breaker for me. (at this point, Lord willing.) I think there are other low cost options if you need to outsource classes: trade tutoring with another friend hire a teacher and put together an IRL class. I've paid $20 - $30 month for science with lab. join an academic co-op or start a small academic co-op Our library has many of the Great Courses; our used bookstore has more community options like 4-H, the library, local colleges/universities for enriching opportunities like rocketry, music, computers, even electives such as cooking You can then use dual-enrollment or online classes sparingly and as-needed to fill in gaps or take your child farther than you can with local resources. Honestly, I pray about these needs. They are real and God promises to equip where he has called. I have seen over and over God provide amazing, FREE options for us including so far: free music lessons for three of my dc as well as being given the instrument; free chemistry class; free math tutoring; free biology and physics classes. These have been offered by people or neighbors or fellow homeschoolers who want something for their child and open it up to others as well. Hope that helps, Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebel Yell Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 It is comforting to know others have seen it happen. Looking at the cost of the AP classes are what is making me think. If I let each child take one class, it would cost me close to $3K (rounding up). No, they don't allow part time enrollment. You are right, it isn't a big step to put them into a public cyber from just paying for online classes. I have this one friend who put her son in ALL online classes for 11th and 12th grades. When I saw that (and how common it was), I asked her why she didn't just put him in the cyber. She said she still wanted to homeschool. huh? I was confused.He was doing all online classes. I saw no difference. Sometimes the difference is flexibility. I, personally, would put my girls in the local public school before I used a cyber school. If I'm using the public school curriculum on the public school's schedule I'd really rather just have her at the school all day. If I could pick and choose (and afford, LOL!) a variety of online classes where it was more flexible and I could choose them based on content/textbooks/etc. I would do that if I didn;t think I could do it all at home. We do use some co-op/enrichement classes and a few video-based programs. One thing I find all of my girls needed was flexibility in pacing of the work- some classes they fly through, others they need more time in. The cyber options I'm aware of don;t allow that- and if they say they do it;s more of a hassle than it;s worth. Oh- and she said she still wanted to homeschool? Some people consider using the public cyber schools to be 'public school at home." I don;t want to debate that here, please! But I see their point- as a public cyber student you are a public school student. even with all online classes the student is still a "homeschooler" since the parent determines the courses taken and the timeing of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3andme Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 You might also ask for lower cost suggestions on the specific AP or other courses you are considering. I know for a few of the PA Homeschoolers AP History classes there is a much less expensive audit option of $150 vs. $600. For Latin, Lone Pine also offers a similar less expensive audit option. Hippocampus offers some AP self study courses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katie Jean Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 Sometimes the difference is flexibility. I, personally, would put my girls in the local public school before I used a cyber school. If I'm using the public school curriculum on the public school's schedule I'd really rather just have her at the school all day. If I could pick and choose (and afford, LOL!) a variety of online classes where it was more flexible and I could choose them based on content/textbooks/etc. I would do that if I didn;t think I could do it all at home. We do use some co-op/enrichement classes and a few video-based programs. One thing I find all of my girls needed was flexibility in pacing of the work- some classes they fly through, others they need more time in. The cyber options I'm aware of don;t allow that- and if they say they do it;s more of a hassle than it;s worth. Oh- and she said she still wanted to homeschool? Some people consider using the public cyber schools to be 'public school at home." I don;t want to debate that here, please! But I see their point- as a public cyber student you are a public school student. even with all online classes the student is still a "homeschooler" since the parent determines the courses taken and the timeing of them. All of this is so very true. I've had the experience of being enrolled in cyber and you have absolutely no flexibility at all. You have to take all the coursework your state requires and have no time for anything else. Another option in my state (CA) which I think is wonderful, is homeschool charters, which give families a budget to spend on whatever secular curriculum they want. It's $2200 per student per year-which is still thousands less than what the state gets per student, but a very nice start for purchasing materials/classes. The drawback is you're once again at the mercy of the school and their regulations and requirements. I've chosen to work around it for 8 years. It hasn't always been easy, but it's worked for us. We have plenty of flexibility and choice and I've considered myself lucky to have the opportunity. The schools also have optional on site classes for enrichment and more difficult subjects. Another downfall though is becoming spoiled by having curriculum supplied. When I get big eyes for Christian publishers, (all the time) I have to play my violin for DH who doesn't see the need to spend our hard earned money if we can get it free from the school. Of course we do end up buying things we just HAVE to have, so our kids have a good mix of secular/non secular curriculum. Shoot, I got way OT, but I have to be honest and say that if finances dictated my choice to HS, it would be really really difficult but I would find a way. Where there's a will theres a way! We actually moved to another county in order to take advantage of the school we have here. Sorry for the ramble! HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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