<p>What do you all think about public schools in wealthy areas which do not receive any more government funding than schools in poor areas, but raise enough money directly to pay for incredible extras like enrichment teacher salaries, musical instruments, trips, etc.? My boss had kids in public schools and made contributions of $10,000 per child every year that they were in school. There are more than a few comparable families in certain areas. Thoughts?</p>
<p>Zooser,</p>
<p>I think if we go on insisting that the world be absolute “fair” for every child then we will have to take every child at birth and put them into state run orphanages where every bite of food, ever article of clothing, and (of course) their education will be absolutely identical to every other child in the society.</p>
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You’re exactly right and that was kind of what I was getting at. If we aren’t willing to have the state take custody of some children, there will be disparities and the kids of well-off parents will always have certain advantages, regardless of where they attend school.</p>
<h1>117: I’ve thought long and hard about answering but here it is: Yes, I was doing a “kindness” in not reporting the girl. Finding illegally enrolled kids and/or turning them in is not my responsibility. If the school does it: fine. So, yes, all the teammates and parents were “kind”. And that goes for kids illegally enrolled in school who are on the Robotics, French, orchestra, baseball or theater programs. Is the illegal child “stealing” from another if they win/perform/travel with the school when a child in district can’t go/perform/participate. Yes. And that was my point.</h1>
<p>As for delusions of grandeur: some areas have strengths in certain areas. And, yes all these schools (ALL) send a decent portion of their kids to participate in D1 or D3 sports. Some have gone pro. That’s a fact. And nowhere did I say that schools (anywhere) raise funds and lie about where the money goes. What I said was: middle class and above schools raise money. Some schools (rich and poor btw) are adopted by companies and corporations. And what I said was the federal government gives funds to under achieving and schools with poor children.</p>
<p>And yes, I was being “kind”. It is not my job to be an informer, whether it is for an athletic team or the kid who took your kid’s spot in band.</p>
<p>“Hanna: I have no idea what you are talking about.”</p>
<p>There are communities that, operating as private corporations, provide their own sewer, security, clubhouse, etc. through homeowner fees, not taxes. Perhaps they do not exist in your state, but they do exist. Sometimes there’s a “public” school that operates exclusively within this private ownership community. Is it really public in the sense that other schools are public? It strikes me as a gray area. If your school serves solely children of families who buy their way into a private club at great cost…it looks a lot like a private school.</p>
<p>'What do you all think about public schools in wealthy areas which do not receive any more government funding than schools in poor areas, but raise enough money directly to pay for incredible extras like enrichment teacher salaries, musical instruments, trips, etc.?"</p>
<p>I think it’s unavoidable. Realistically, when states try to prevent this, it either happens under the table, or the school district collapses because the well-off parents leave. It’s another gray area between public and private schools, especially when there’s an expectation that each family cough up $X or their child doesn’t get the full benefit of the “public” education.</p>