Private School Tuition

[Happyinwonerland]

OP, are you currently in Fayette County ? Maybe you could petition the school board to be placed in a better public school that will better meet your child's needs. There is a huge difference in schools ( Booker T. Washington, a lowest performing school, vs. Rosa Parks, a top ranking school) depending on your district. Getting into the right public school with the right resources might be helpful.

 

[ilovefh]

It's too bad that so many people "stop caring" about the fact that the public schools are being drained of funds by voucher programs and charter schools---because in the end, those schools can choose to take or leave any student they wish when they start to tarnish their test score numbers---while the public schools end up taking them back (and many others) on fewer funds. Additionally, it is not a quid-pro-quo financial exchange.....sometimes those private schools accepting vouchers still require additional funds--and the per pupil loss to the district is often a larger amount of $$ then that which is spent per pupil within the district.

Here is my take on it. Full disclaimer I am a public school teacher who has a child with special needs so I know how the system works from both sides.

My son currently is identified as "developmentally delayed" which, in Florida, only applies until he is 6. He'll then be reevaluated and receive a new identification if he qualifies, which he will.

My son is currently enrolled in a special needs charter school that practices inclusion. He is there because, at least in Florida, our special needs system is broken.

If he went to public school they wouldn't have had him repeat prek. They would have pushed him through to kindergarten when he wasn't ready.

At his school they recognized that he wasn't mature enough for kindergarten so he is doing another year of prek.

At public elementary school he would be in a class of 18 kids and 1 teacher. A special education teacher would come in 2-4 days per week depending on his "needs." They would only be there for math and reading because those are the only two tested subjects. They offer no one on ones and he does occasionally need someone to sit with him to help him focus.

At his charter school he is in a class of 18 kids with 2 teachers and an assistant teacher the whole day. Both teachers are dual certified in elementary and special education. They are able to sit with him one on one when needed because they have the extra teachers.

In my classes (math) the special ed teacher comes in 3 days per week and I'm supposed to meet the needs of all 22 students by myself every other day, including 13 students with IEPs. If something comes up the special ed teacher can't be there, for example an IEP meeting or last week when one of the 25 kids on her caseload was in the dean's office. She missed the day of a test. I had to deliver all test accommodations myself but wasn't able to because some kids need small group testing but there is only one of me so I can't take them anywhere else in a small group.

It's not that I don't care about public schools, I just care more about my child's education.

 

[Lilacs4Me]

It's too bad that so many people "stop caring" about the fact that the public schools are being drained of funds by voucher programs and charter schools---because in the end, those schools can choose to take or leave any student they wish when they start to tarnish their test score numbers---while the public schools end up taking them back (and many others) on fewer funds. Additionally, it is not a quid-pro-quo financial exchange.....sometimes those private schools accepting vouchers still require additional funds--and the per pupil loss to the district is often a larger amount of $$ then that which is spent per pupil within the district.

Yes, it is "too bad". I agree with you. I don't think most people understand how it all works.

It is also "too bad" that adults cannot figure out that a parent must do what is good for THEIR child, when that child has needs that cannot be met by a regular public school and needs to look elsewhere for assistance.

I happen to live in a state where there is no voucher system, however I came from a state where there is. I understand both.

 

[nkereina]

My niece and nephew attend Catholic school and some of their tuition is offset by different things the parents are able to do, such as volunteer for bingo, participate in fundraisers, sell 50/50 tickets, etc. If they sign up to do some of these volunteer events and activities, the school knocks off a portion of the tuition. In addition, the school allows 12 month installment payments to pay off the annual tuition which makes it easier on families. Good luck!

 

[Liberty Belle]

does your son currently have an iep? is his current (public I'm assuming) school unable to meet his needs? if so you might try the route where you hit up the public school district he's currently in to cover the private school costs (if they can't do what he clearly needs that this other school can). I don't know if that's possible though after looking at the school's website-it looks like they aren't accredited yet but you could always check-it never hurts to ask (I would ask the private school first in case they've had someone successful at doing it-they may have advice on how to pursue it).

otherwise-always ask about scholarships. my kids did private k-8th and there were always scholarships or tuition reductions available, esp. if the school wanted a particular student/type of student to attend. on this school's website it's apparent they are marketing to special needs students so I would suspect if your son meets both that criteria AND is academically gifted they may be very generous in this area to get him attending.

We've tried the "can't provide for his needs" route before with social skills program, but it was a no go.

 

[Liberty Belle]

OP, are you currently in Fayette County ? Maybe you could petition the school board to be placed in a better public school that will better meet your child's needs. There is a huge difference in schools ( Booker T. Washington, a lowest performing school, vs. Rosa Parks, a top ranking school) depending on your district. Getting into the right public school with the right resources might be helpful.

He's in middle school now (8th grade), so I'd rather not switch. The Sphinx Academy is 6th - 12th. The high school in our district is nice and has a STEM program that he may be able to get into.

 

[Liberty Belle]

What in the world does "Twice Exceptional" mean, and why would he have trouble in school if he is so exceptional? Or is that just a euphemism for special needs? If it is, then I agree that you should see if the public school system would pay for an outplacement, although that just sucks tons of money out of a probably already strapped school district. But if you do go that route, your school may offer more support in the school, to save having to cut other programs (or raise taxes). Of course, then you get put on "that family" list. It's a catch-22, caused by federal and state unfunded mandates. And of course the true victims are the kids, all of them.

Twice Exceptional means he has been determined gifted (by IQ testing, IOWA tests, and MAP testing), but also has a disability. In my son's case it is dysgraphia, ADHD, and SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder - which many gifted kids have).

We're already "that family" and I can say though we didn't advocate enough for our son for years for fear of becoming "that family" and having it taken out on our child, once we got an advocate involved and they knew we meant business, things changed for the better.

 

[Liberty Belle]

Interesting, I had never heard of that term before reading this thread. But I immediately thought of a brilliant kid at my son's school. He fits that diagnosis and is in line to become valedictorian this year.

Most private schools, ours included, offer a large percentage of students financial aid that covers all or most of the cost of tuition. Our school grants aid to 20% of the student body. Many of the folks who applied for aid never believed they would qualify, but they did. Fill out the forms right away if you can.

Unfortunately I heard from the school and they said while my son seemed like a great fit and his story was similar to many children's stories at the school, because of their newness, they have no tuition help or scholarships currently available.

Not giving up - just looking in other directions now.

 

[Liberty Belle]

This. In my case I was told that because my child had a very high IQ, she didn't "need" any accommodations for her learning disabilities because she was "smart enough to deal with it on her own"

That's horrible.

 

[Liberty Belle]

I had no idea but I Googled it.

"The term twice exceptional, often abbreviated as 2e, has only recently entered educators' lexicon and refers to intellectually gifted children who have some form of disability. These children are considered exceptional both because of their intellectual gifts and because of their special needs".

Our county has just developed a team to address the needs of 2e kids. Of course, that means, it will be a while before anything is implemented. I was told there were only 5 2E kids at my son's school, which sounds like a very small number to me. I would think it would be higher.

 

[QueenIsabella]

Our county has just developed a team to address the needs of 2e kids. Of course, that means, it will be a while before anything is implemented. I was told there were only 5 2E kids at my son's school, which sounds like a very small number to me. I would think it would be higher.

Well, if you think about it, being both gifted AND having a learning disability puts you in a small percentage of the population. Also, it's very common for 2e kids to be misdiagnosed (or underdiagnosed), because one exceptionality masks the other. We only got a true diagnosis--actually, several-- for DS19 this past summer, after years of searching and knowing "something" was wrong.

My DH is also twice exceptional. After years of struggling and being told he was stupid and lazy and didn't try hard enough, I told him he needed to get checked, because there's no way someone who puts in 40 hours/week into one graduate course gets a B. Go figure--he's 2e. He's now in his 50's, has a master's degree in engineering and is very successful at his job. He's made his peace with his parents not realizing how much he struggled--I still have issues with it, but he's fine. To this day, my MIL will NOT acknowledge that he has a learning disability. All our DS19's problems come from my side of the family tree. She actually told DH a couple years ago that she was surprised that he was so successful--she always thought he was such a big loser. Um, okay.

Keep advocating for your son. I like to use my MIL as an example of what I shouldn't do.

 

[Liberty Belle]

Well, if you think about it, being both gifted AND having a learning disability puts you in a small percentage of the population. Also, it's very common for 2e kids to be misdiagnosed (or underdiagnosed), because one exceptionality masks the other. We only got a true diagnosis--actually, several-- for DS19 this past summer, after years of searching and knowing "something" was wrong.

My DH is also twice exceptional. After years of struggling and being told he was stupid and lazy and didn't try hard enough, I told him he needed to get checked, because there's no way someone who puts in 40 hours/week into one graduate course gets a B. Go figure--he's 2e. He's now in his 50's, has a master's degree in engineering and is very successful at his job. He's made his peace with his parents not realizing how much he struggled--I still have issues with it, but he's fine. To this day, my MIL will NOT acknowledge that he has a learning disability. All our DS19's problems come from my side of the family tree. She actually told DH a couple years ago that she was surprised that he was so successful--she always thought he was such a big loser. Um, okay.

Keep advocating for your son. I like to use my MIL as an example of what I shouldn't do.

Wow, your poor DH.

True. In our school system top 3%tile on IQ test is one marker of gifted (they have to show three), so I guess that doesn't leave many to also have a disability. Plus there are the undiagnosed.

 

[DisneyOma]

What school districts/states are you all from that use a (flawed) IQ test as a basis for education? Unless you are a middle/upper class white male, the test is very biased against you.

 

[Aliceacc]

Public school worked for both of my children - and they were gifted and had disabilities. One graduated Valedictorian, the other Salutatorian. "Extreme intelligence" can still learn in a public school.
.

I'm glad your kids were able to find success.

That doesn't mean that every kid who is gifted and has disabilities is on the same path. Kids are different, and there's no one-size-fits-all way to teach them or to help them learn.

Apparently, public school isn't working for the OP. She is absolutely right to try to advocate for her son.

 

[Colleen27]

No advice, I just want to wish you luck. Private school has been wonderful for our girls and I wish we'd have been more aware of the options, including scholarships/financial aid, when our 2e son was younger because I think it would have made an even bigger difference to him. We (wrongly) assumed we couldn't afford private school and ruled out Catholic school because we weren't religious and that ranks as my single biggest parenting regret by far.

 

[QueenIsabella]

I'm glad your kids were able to find success.

That doesn't mean that every kid who is gifted and has disabilities is on the same path. Kids are different, and there's no one-size-fits-all way to teach them or to help them learn.

Apparently, public school isn't working for the OP. She is absolutely right to try to advocate for her son.

Not to mention, disabilities can be in a number of forms. DH has no short-term memory. DS19 has Asperger's, auditory processing disorder (trouble distinguishing from important and unimportant sounds), and dyspraxia (in DS19 this shows up as extreme difficulty writing). The accommodations that would have helped my DH are not the same ones needed for my DS. Some things are easy to accommodate, like needing more test time or headphones or a private testing room. That's completely different from someone needing a one-on-one aid or sign language interpreter.

 

[DawnM]

We looked into a similar type school for our son. It was $24K per year and they told me they offer NO scholarships. I hope yours is different.

I opted to homeschool. It wasn't necessarily cheaper as we lost my income, but the stress level of working and worry about him was more than I could handle. We kept our cars longer, went on fewer vacations, I bargain shopped (thrift stores/garage sales/etc...), and I cooked most of our meals.

I am not saying you should do it, just saying, you may find you can save enough to make it worth your while compared to full tuition, a work wardrobe, not being able to bargain hunt, needing a more reliable car, vacations, etc....

 

[#1hoosierfan]

OP- Is your child on an IEP or 504 for any of the special needs you mentioned?

If so, have you been able to document that the plan is not being met?

 

[tcufrog]

My 9 year old son is 2E. He has a very high IQ (tested when he was 4) plus some auditory sensory issues, ADHD and high functioning Aspergers. When he was 3 and I was pregnant he was kicked out of his Montessori preschool for biting. Looking back, I now realize that Montessori was a terrible fit for someone like him. We moved him for preschool and preK to a small private school for kids who had behavioral issues. This place was so hard core that all of the teachers had been trained in how to safely restrain students. I hated sending him there but it turns out it was what he needed. The school said he was ready by kindergarten to consider mainstreaming. The problem was though that our local ISD had a terrible track record when it came to 2E kids. The family of one of the kids at my son's preschool was suing the school district because they put their 2E kid in remedial special classes with kids who had severe intellectual deficits. According to my friends who had smart neurotypical kids they didn't even have a gifted program for those kids.

I tried calling the school district to find someone to talk to about our concerns and what an IEP for my son would look like but I kept getting bounced from one person's VM to another without anyone calling me back. Very reluctantly we ended up deciding to send our son to private school. We found a local K-8 private school that's about 25 miles away. The classes are capped at 15 kids which is what he needed. After K they moved him up 2 grades in math and he's not the only one who does that at his school. The teachers differentiates spelling lists and for the last 2 years he's been doing Greek and Latin root word lists. The schoolwork is still too easy for him although much more challenging than he'd get at the local public school. Having his skip grades isn't the right choice for him because of his social skills deficit and he'd prefer to be with kids his own age anyways.

The reason why this works without IEPs and the public school infrastructure is because the school is very flexible and the teachers really care about him. I didn't need to deal with any paperwork to send noise cancelling headphones for him to use when noise became an issue. Last year when his math teacher noticed that he was getting restless during class she immediately found him a standing desk. If he finds the classroom distracting the teachers don't mind him choosing to go to a more quiet area of the school to do his work. The staff sets up phone calls and meetings quickly when issues arise. This sort of arrangement wouldn't work at most schools without a formal system in place but it works here because the school is small and already had the attitude that each child should be treated as an individual.

I feel fortunate that we were able to scrape together the money to pay for the school since I know it's not possible for most people to do so. When we have conversations with our financial adviser about how to cut expenses and he suggests switching to private school I tell him I'd rather sell my eggs or plasma than do that. I never thought I'd have that attitude because I was always committed to public school. I went 1st-12 at public school and for the most part received a great education and my sister is a public school teacher. She just recently switched to special ed in fact.

 

[Liberty Belle]

What school districts/states are you all from that use a (flawed) IQ test as a basis for education? Unless you are a middle/upper class white male, the test is very biased against you.

Again, the students in my school district need to have three markers, the IQ test is just one of them.