Charter Homeschool

[joyfulhomeschooler]

Does anyone on here have experience with a charter school that pays for your curriculum and extracurricular activities, but you still home school your child... AT HOME?
 

There is a new one starting up in our town and though it sounds like a good idea, we just can't find peace about joining. The pros on our list are more than the cons... still it just feels like a bad idea. I'm hoping to find people that have actually used one of these charter type schools, to tell me what the positives and negatives you found were. Or people who haven't used them, and why.

 

[Ellie]

Does anyone on here have experience with a charter school that pays for your curriculum and extracurricular activities, but you still home school your child... AT HOME?

 

There is a new one starting up in our town and though it sounds like a good idea, we just can't find peace about joining. The pros on our list are more than the cons... still it just feels like a bad idea. I'm hoping to find people that have actually used one of these charter type schools, to tell me what the positives and negatives you found were. Or people who haven't used them, and why.

 

 

 

A charter school is a public school, which makes your children public school students, accountable to public school requirements not homeschool (or private school, depending on the laws in your state) requirements. This includes things like standardized testing, reporting how much time is spent weekly, not being able to move at one's own speed, and more.

 

If you cannot find peace, you should pay attention to that.

 

I would not choose a public-school-at-home unless there were very unusual circumstances, as in the case of a friend who was divorced, and her ex would only allow her to keep her ds at home if she enrolled him in a charter school.

[Food4Thought]

I have never joined a charter, but I have a lot of friends who are with charters, and lately they've been pressuring me a little to join one, mostly for the "free money."

 

It all sounds nice, but the same friends are the ones complaining about testing, managing visits/calls with their overseers, and being forced to keep their supplies separate because they have to give them all back at the end of the year or at the end of their time with the charter school.

 

Having ballet and taekwondo paid for would be great, and the connections with local university classes, free zoo memberships, music lessons, and everything else. It sounds wonderful. But I am way too much of a do-it-yourself type to agree to it. And with a special needs son, I really can't commit to weekly classes without adding a lot of extra stress, so the charters that do classes one or two days a week and require volunteering just sound nightmarish to me.

 

I'm not sure if that's helpful or not. Mainly, I wanted to commiserate, because I'm struggling with this, too.

[maize]

I have gone back and forth between charter school enrollment and independent homeschooling.

 

The advantages of independent homeschooling are greater freedom, less oversight, less need to worry about someone else's standards, less paperwork.

 

The advantages of a charter are funds for curriculum and activities we might not otherwise be able to afford and some outside accountability for myself and my kids.

 

Good luck with your decision.

[Coco_Clark]

I'm part of a public partnership program.

 

Pluses: I receive 500 dollars per student, per year, for curricula, supplies, and music/ballet/karate/ect lessons.

 

Kids can take 1-6 classes two days a week at the campus for free. They offer a lot of fun stuff like lego robotics, theatre, music, pe, sciences and a few core type classes like LOF math, handwriting without tears, writing workshops, ect. The classes are multi-age (k-3, and 4-6 generally but with a few exceptions) and set up college style so you pick and choose.

 

Negatives: I have to write a "plan" for my year, and email in monthly updates on how it's going. There is little worry about staying on grade level, moving at certain speeds, or spending certain amounts of time, and I can change my plans at any point of the year, but it is a bother sometimes to sit down and type it up. Some families don't enjoy the "oversight". I also have to go Into the school at semester end and year end to update my plans and chat with my oversight teacher. The meeting takes 10-15 minutes but it IS a place I have to go.

 

We have to participate in yearly testing from grades 3+.

 

 

I know local families that LOVE the program, adore the "advice" they get at their meetings with their oversight teacher, say it gave them the confidence they needed to homeschool and don't ever want to homeschool without it. I know families like me that are grateful for the funds and the access to high quality classes, and are willing to submit to a bit of oversight and testing to get them. And I know families that tried it, hated it, felt like their rights were being stomped on and their confidence lowered, and that it's trying to end all true homeschooling. So...YMMV.

[5Wizards]

I have been with a program connected to a public school for a few years now.  I have never had to report my time spent, but I do test every year (although I will be opting out this year).  I am not opposed to testing, but I also don't take it too seriously (it doesn't hurt that so far it seems that my children test well and don't stress about it). I use whatever curriculum I want as long as it's not religious, which is not an issue for me.  I look at it as a job - I spend some time doing some paperwork every month in exchange for the school paying for extracurricular activities.  It doesn't change how I operate our homeschool, other than keeping better records/samples, and it has allowed my children to do some things that they otherwise would not have access to due to funds.  It has been an overall positive experience for us. 

 

That being said, this will probably be our last year with the program due to some changes that will most likely make it more restrictive.  If those changes occur, I will no longer see it as an even trade, and it won't be worth it to me anymore.  I am also not interested in looking at other charter schools due to their restrictions.  I have had a very good thing going for a few years now, but I have always known that the amount of freedom I have had is not necessarily the norm.  It seems to me that the longer a program has been in place, the more restrictions the participants seem to have.  If the program goes in the direction that I think it will, I will go back to homeschooling as a private school.

 

You can always try it out and then withdraw if you're not happy.  Make sure to ask questions so that you know exactly what you are getting yourself into and what the expectations are.  Although I know that there are some on here who think that I don't "really homeschool,"  I don't really care what they think.  I know that I am homeschooling and I am happy with my situation.   Good luck to you in making your decision.

[Mimicoto]

We were part of a fairly liberal public charter at the beginning of this, our first year homeschooling.  While there wasn't any 'free money' to be used at our discretion, they did order and pay for secular curriculum and offerred a full slate of enrichment classes.  It was clear early on for us that it was not the right fit at all - liberal or not, we still had to answer to someone else and instead of spending our first months as new homeschoolers getting a sense of how best to work with one another, we spent our time anxiously chasing turn-ins and adhering to a schedule that wasn't in synch with our family's rythm.  The classes looked good on paper but were non-starters with both children.   Furhter, if the class schedule didn't work with our schedule, tough luck for us.  We weren't able to benefit much from them at all.

 

The experience was a total bust.  We stuck it out until December, then filed privately and now homeschool legally, and independently.  There are still bumps and tradeoffs, but we make our own choices and that feels right for us.

 

There are many families who are comfortable with the public charter arrangement...they make it work for them, and are prepared to put up with the bits that chaffe in exchange for the benefits.  However other homeschool mom's that I know who have their children in public charters that do offer funds for discretionary spending talk about how many bureaucratic hoops they need to jump through in exchange.

 

Everyone's circumstances, situations and tolerances are so different that really, I think it's a question of choosing an option that works best for YOUR family.  Ellie said it best - if you can't be at peace with it, listen to that.  I wish I'd listened earlier to my own misgivings.  Failing to do so cost us several months and an unfortunately rocky start to our homeschool experience.  Best of luck to you!

[Roadrunner]

These charters vary greatly, so make sure you know what the specific requirements are. I have homeschooled both independently and with a charter. What I teach and how I teach hasn't changed at all. I have to hand over couple of pages of samples once a month to a lady who comes to my house, and we have to do testing, which is a plus for me. I am not in an anti-test group. In return my kids are engaged in some activities that they love but we couldn't afford without the charter. They fund $4k a year for both kids, not per child.

I would say that if you are an unschooler or your kids struggle, charter oversight might be frustrating. My kids test above grade level and nobody questions us. If you travel for extended periods of time (gone more than a month at a time), the charter isn't for you.

Most of all, if you don't need money, stay independent. However, if you know you can provide for your kids more through the charter funds, consider your monthly visit a job that pays handsomely. Don't let ideological opposition take away benefits from your kid if you need those benefits. I know lots of people who love their charters.

[SeaConquest]

My experience is that charter schools seem to vary widely in their policies and requirements. For example, contrary to what was described above, we do not have to report the time that we spend weekly and are able to move at our pace. So, I don't think it is fair to describe charters as one-size-fits-all. They work well for some families and not well for others. And they may work for a specific time, and not at another time.

 

Having said that, we are very happy with our charter. My oldest is in K and we only HS because he is accelerated. We choose any secular materials we want, and they have no issues with my son working several grade levels ahead. We chose our charter because of the fun enrichment classes they offer. Other charters in our area offer more money if you don't want to take classes, but my extremely extroverted son loves his classes at the charter. They have Spanish, art, music, robotics, Lego, gardening, performing arts, programming, and tons of others. 

Our EF comes to our house once per month and we turn in 4 work samples every other month, along with a PE log. There is optional testing once per year in 3rd or 4th. This hybrid homeschooling works great for us, and I imagine that we will continue at least through K-6. My son would not get enough social time (even though we do plenty of extracurricular activities) if we were privately homeschooling, so I'm fine with the notional loss of control (I say notional because the charter hasn't impacted our curricular choices or homeschooling philosophy one iota, except to the extent that I no longer have to worry about my homeschooling budget).

 

For us, the pros have far outweighed the cons, but I think that you should make a decision with which you are at peace. 

[vaquitita]

Nm

Edited December 12, 2015 by vaquitita

[Little Women]

I have had friends use these for a long time, with both good and bad experiences, but I just started using on myself this year.   It does depend a lot on which one you are in and what the requirements are.   A few things I've seen:

 

1.  My friend K was in three different ones over the years in CA.  The first one was a good place for them.  She felt the visits with the teacher were very helpful for her with her special needs child.  She was very happy there, until they moved ot a different part of the state.  The second one was good for awhile.  Eventually, they started saying that she could not mention the Bible at all during their school day.  She promptly withdrew from that school.  A bit later, she found another that was a good fit for her, and continued there for quite awhile.

 

2.  My sister D has been involved with a couple different ones near her home in CO.  They go to class once a week, and have been able to do things like theater and choir, that are hard to do at home.  They do have to do the testing, but that hasn't been a problem.   It enabled her dd to take a lot of community college courses in high school for free.    It's been great for them, with few downsides over many years.   

 

3.  Ours has minimal oversight.  We get a certain amount of money for each course, and file weekly reports of what they have done.  (The kids do this part, and I look over it before they submit it.  I think this is good for them as it's a bit of review and it keeps me on track to do something in every course every week.)   They are supposed to take tests, but are subject to the same laws that other ps students in my state are--parents are allowed to opt kids out of any test.   I am testing one and opting one out, for various reasons.   I have been able to use Apologia, by simply saying we would cover "biology" and listing out the topics.   I already had the books, so there was no expense there.

 

It seems to me that as long as parents have the freedom to opt their kids out if they choose, there is little downside.   It can provide much needed money for the books and supplies, and can be very helpful.   

 

There are a few downsides I have seen: 

1.  It does influence my curriculum choices a little, and would a lot more if I hadn't been around for a long time.  I choose to buy the dissection kit not labeled Apologia, eg, but if I were just starting out and choosing a math program, I'd be more likely to ask "will they cover this" at the beginning of my search. 

2.   There is a bit of work because the kids have to do their weekly summaries. 

 

I do think there is a big downside for major, religious based curriculum companies, as beginning homeschoolers without years and resources are more likely to go with secular companies.  For the individual using the programs, though, I haven't seen many downsides.

 

[shinyhappypeople]

There is no such thing as "free money."  There area ALWAYS strings attached.  Dealing with the strings may or may not be worth it for your family.  Only you can decide that.

 

We spent four years with a public "homeschool" charter in California.  We were homeschooling in the sense that school took place at home.  But there was a LOT of oversight because it is a PUBLIC school.  There were a lot of additional assessments and testing in addition to the state test.  If one's child didn't perform well enough on the annual standardized test you can add another layer or three of assessments and PRESSURE.  Some charters won't allow you to opt out of any (or all) testing, so find out beforehand about their policy.  I think they're generally a disaster for children who are academic late bloomers or have learning disabilities and can't quite keep up to grade level standards.  I know of at least one family whose child was kicked out of the homeschool charter program because of their daughters serious learning disabilities. 

 

I've been homeschooling independently for a couple of years now and the difference is night and day.  It is MUCH easier, less stressful, and more authentic.  No more hoops to jump through.  

 

OP: if what you're doing is working now, I suggest you stay the course and don't change things up.  The only times I would encourage enrolling in a homeschool charter are in cases of dire financial straits or if the teaching parent needs the outside accountability to make sure reasonable progress is happening (the "no school in 2 yrs" thread comes to mind).  

 

Hope this helps a little.

[Roadrunner]

Testing is the only way they can "prove" to the state that they deserve the charter, so yes, opting out of it can be a problem. For us the tests just provide the validation the we are doing out of the ordinary work. :) :) :) I sleep better for sure.

 

I thing the money is the bottom line. If you need it, it's worth it. If you don't , it's not. If you don't like it, you can drop out anytime. I like the choice. I can see myself going independent again.

[joyfulhomeschooler]

Thank you all so much for taking the time to add your input! I don't usually 'like' every single reply in a thread, but in this case every one of your responses were truly helpful. We will be mulling it over and checking into things before making a decision in April.