I Just Watched a Video of Paulette Braddock\'s Town Hall Meeting
Blazing Saddles
Pursuit Driver
I said your attitude seems to imply that. You are acting as if a homeschooler is taking something away from someone else and that their payment is taxes doesn't matter. I don't understand the hostility your posts imply toward parents and homeschoolers if they decide to better themselves. I think you need to readdress your opinion on this matter and see if another direction or clarification should be posted.
lotstodo
aka "The Jackal"
unionmom said:
I'm really not sure where you get this opted out stuff. Just because I don't use a park on the other side of the county doesn't mean that I "opted out" of using it and shouldn't be allowed to go there. Just because I haven't used the fire department ever doesn't mean that I have "opted out" of the fire service. Just because I don't avail myself of any number of public services in this county that I pay for with my taxes doesn't mean that I shouldn't be allowed to use them. The same thing goes for the school system. It isn't a all or nothing proposition, one time offer, take it or leave it in perpetuity. I have never had kids so i pay for everybody else's kids to be educated. I have no problem whatsoever if a home school or online school kid wants to play basketball or join the Highschool Band. His parents paid just as much money as the kid who uses the entire school program, so why should he be completely shut out? it doesn't make sense to me.
Just like Fox, I think that the money should reside squarely in the backpack of the kid. Where he goes, the money goes. But until then, as long as we all pay for public school, let the kids use it. When they stop paying for it , they can form their own basketball team.
unionmom
Pursuit Driver
You guys keep going back to the money point yet many of you refuse to address the childless taxpayer aspect.
My opinion is based on the situation as it is. Since childless taxpayers do still pay taxes towards the school, the money aspect of the argument is moot. Also, the programs at school that this discussion was started about are not constitutionally guaranteed items so I don't see them as being a guarantee to any child, home school or not. There are some schools in this county that offer more activity options than other schools do. That means their students have more choices, more "extras" than other school students do. Should the kids from the other schools be permitted to come over to participate? No.
I have repeatedly stated that I feel that parents make the home school or private school choice as a result of weighing the pros and cons. The extracurricular activities that may or may not be available are part of the pros/cons.
And how is it that I am assumed to have some hostility towards home schoolers or private schoolers because of my opinion on this matter? That's a rather large, and incorrect, leap. Some of my good friends home school their kids. It is a decision they have made for them and I have the utmost respect for them. Too many parents don't care enough about their child's education or aren't willing to make the sacrifices needed to accommodate the changes they want to see for their child.
Up until this point I have enjoyed the spirited discussion on the topic but now that the tone has taken the turn that it has, I believe I will leave this as my last post on the matter. Folks don't always agree. It's ok when we don't.
My opinion is based on the situation as it is. Since childless taxpayers do still pay taxes towards the school, the money aspect of the argument is moot. Also, the programs at school that this discussion was started about are not constitutionally guaranteed items so I don't see them as being a guarantee to any child, home school or not. There are some schools in this county that offer more activity options than other schools do. That means their students have more choices, more "extras" than other school students do. Should the kids from the other schools be permitted to come over to participate? No.
I have repeatedly stated that I feel that parents make the home school or private school choice as a result of weighing the pros and cons. The extracurricular activities that may or may not be available are part of the pros/cons.
And how is it that I am assumed to have some hostility towards home schoolers or private schoolers because of my opinion on this matter? That's a rather large, and incorrect, leap. Some of my good friends home school their kids. It is a decision they have made for them and I have the utmost respect for them. Too many parents don't care enough about their child's education or aren't willing to make the sacrifices needed to accommodate the changes they want to see for their child.
Up until this point I have enjoyed the spirited discussion on the topic but now that the tone has taken the turn that it has, I believe I will leave this as my last post on the matter. Folks don't always agree. It's ok when we don't.
F
Foxmeister
Guest
unionmom said:
Lets back up a bit as you seem to be changing your focus now. Let's go back earlier when you were stating home school kids should not be permitted to play sports in public schools, have access to the school library or the counselors. You said because the opted out of the public school system, they should not have access because it's all or nothing. Now you seem to be changing your tune on that and if so, I'm glad.
As far as the money goes, parents should be able to take the school portion of their property taxes to pay for the education of their children whether it's home school or private school. Why should they have to pay for their children's education using those avenues and continue to help fund those students in public school?
Apparently you think those who have been disagreeing with you have been insultive to you somehow. I'm sorry, but I don't see that at all. I think because several have voiced an opposing opinion to yours, you feel you are being ganged up on. That's not the case at all. It's simply that there are more voicing an opinion that differs from yours. Please don't get mad because nobody is angry with you at all.
Madea
zip a dee doo dah
Foxmeister said:
I snipped part of your comments for clarity. Okay, but if you do that, how do you justify taking money from folks with NO children in school to help pay for those who are in public school? Don't you think they are going to say they want to decide how to spend their money as well??
Blazing Saddles
Pursuit Driver
I'm not getting mad at anyone's opinion. I just think the opinion is wrong. The only thing I am disagreeing with is the comment "opt out" and "all or nothing". The public schools are just that and ALL kids have access to them. There was a large descrepancy between posts and I wanted clarity. No harm or foul for asking. Consistency is what we are looking for. 
F
Foxmeister
Guest
Madea said:
First of all, I believe parents should make education a high priority for their children. When you have children, you should see to it they have the best education possible. That includes making the decision how your children shall be educated. If the public schools funded by tax dollars is failing, then they should be able to take the school tax portion of the property taxes they pay and use that towards how they want to educate them.
I also believe, if it were a perfect world that those who don't have children should not have to pay that portion of the property taxes. However, this is not a perfect world and that is not possible.
If our public school system was providing our children a quality education, all of this would be a moot point.
Winchester
When you need FIREPOWER!
Madea said:
I agree! But IF the the system only charged those who had children, per child, their property taxes would be over $10,000 per year. The last I heard, it costs the County an average of $5700 per child, per year.
But I have never had kids. I have never placed a burden on the school system. If vouchers are allowed, I want my vouchers to spend it like I want!
lotstodo
aka "The Jackal"
Winchester said:
I'm in the same situation, no kids ever, but we as a country have decided that as a matter of policy we will have socialized education for our children. To change that now would be a pipe dream. The best you and I could hope for would be that our money goes into a competitive and goal oriented system that meets the needs of the individual student instead of the needs of a lumbering bureaucracy. The average cost of a public school K-12 education today in this country is around $8500 per year. That is, in spite of all of the attempts to tell us otherwise, about the same as a private school education. If the money follows the child, then the child 's parents decide the best for their kid instead of a bureaucracy setting mediocre, lowest common denominator goals as "good enough". Gifted kids get accelerated learning while learning disabled kids get an education geared to their different abilities. Students interested in science and engineering can specialize earlier while children interested in the arts can do the same. Failing primary and secondary schools would have to improve or perish just as Public and Private Colleges do today. Competition improves the breed. All parents, especially the poorest, can for the first time send their kids to the best available school for their child's specific need. This is what vouchers and target schools can do, and have done in places like DC.
That's the goal, not an end to the redistribution of wealth inherent in the current system. That's a fight for another day that will never be won.
F
Foxmeister
Guest
Madea said:
In my entire life, I have never had a need for the fire department to show up to my house, but my taxes pay for that service and for that I am thankful. I rarely find myself at any of our parks, but I'm glad we have them. I rarely go to a public library because I enjoy owning the books I read, but I'm glad we have them. Each of those things are investments that are beneficial to our community.
Education is an investment in our community. The children in or communities are our future leaders, doctors, lawyers, scientist, police officers, fire fighters, nurses, inventors, business owners, etc. Because they are these things, we all should be obligated to see they are provided the best education possible. If we don't provide them a quality education in our public schools, we set them and ourselves up for failure in the future.