Continuing the homeschool journey with our Whisper audience, let’s focus on why families choose to homeschool. Why not just select a private school, whether religious or not? Well, that option overlooks many other issues, such as location, time, expense, and control. It also pretends that private schools are absolutely free from negative influences like bullying, harassment, abuse, and discrimination.
Allow me to preface this by acknowledging that there are good people in every school around the world, and that every school has its own problems. This article is not an argument for choosing the lesser of two evils. It addresses why a family would reject all outside schooling options and select homeschooling. I would like to remind my readers that I have only experienced traditional homeschooling. Because of that, my arguments come from personal experiences and stories I have seen and heard from parents, students, and teachers. If there is a specific point that I missed but you feel should be addressed, you are welcome to comment, email, or private message The Whisper. As I stated in my introductory article, there is a high likelihood of a final Q and A article that compiles subjects that were either overlooked, specifically requested, or missed in previous articles.
Location and Time
For Pendleton County residents, the only private schools are in a different county. This adds significantly to the monetary and time costs. The more rural you go, the farther a family must travel to access a private school. Efforts to increase school choice are opening more opportunities for private schools to expand in these areas.
A 2017 study done by Brookings, a nonpartisan research firm, found, “At least 60 percent of rural families are within ten miles of intradistrict choice, interdistrict choice, and private schools, but urban families are more likely to have these choices close by. The distance families are able and willing to travel may be more important for expanding school choice than the type of school the policy provides access to. For example, by increasing ‘as the crow flies’ travel distance from one mile to five miles, we more than double the number of families who could potentially take advantage of a private school or an intradistrict choice policy. We also find that the potential availability of choice varies widely across states. For example, 95 percent of California and Massachusetts families live within five miles of a private school, compared to less than 60 percent of Montana and West Virginia families.” (CITE)
Not every private school offers transportation services, which also increases the distance and time commitment for families, especially for parents who work varying hours, such as in retail. Not every private school offers before or after school programs, either, which can make it even more difficult for working parents. Another aspect of the time commitment is that private schools still require parent involvement. Parent teacher conferences, fundraisers, theme days, and all the other activities that parents are required to participate in can add up quickly.
https://libertas.institute/…/school-choice-in-rural…/
https://www.brookings.edu/…/who-could-benefit-from…/
But if you homeschool?
If a family chooses to homeschool, then transportation and location issues vanish. Your child can learn literally anywhere. Your time commitment does increase, but depending upon which method you select for your schooling, such as online, traditional, or unschooling, which according to Wikipedia is the practice of self driven informal learning characterized by a lesson free and curriculum free implementation of homeschooling, you can be just the physical adult present. Many parents who use online programs verify that the work is completed and assist with a little homework, just as they did when the child was in a public school. Truly, the only difficulty is arranging for your kids to be with an adult when both parents are working. More on this below as we discuss the expense of private versus homeschool education.
Expense
Across Kentucky, private school tuition averages $10,395 per year. Occasionally, scholarships and financial aid are available for families who cannot afford that price, but there can still be a significant financial burden. Recent efforts to change taxes so they follow the student instead of the school have all been struck down. But on March 17, the legislature overrode Governor Beshear’s veto of HB 1 to join the federal school choice program that provides tax credits to donors of all scholarship programs, therefore opening up more financial aid for private and homeschooling students. This does not change already existing taxes, but it encourages scholarship granting organizations to be viewed equally. I don’t know many families inside Pendleton County who can afford a second mortgage payment just to pay for their children’s education. Not to mention that this annual tuition is only for a single student. Heaven forbid a family needs to enroll three or more students! Yes, some schools offer family discounts and financial assistance, but that doesn’t cover the entire bill, nor does it guarantee it for every year. And lest we forget, there is a fair amount of time involved in applying for that financial aid, something working parents are increasingly short on.
https://legiscan.com/KY/bill/HB1/2026
https://www.dbllaw.com/will-school-choice-come-finally…/
https://www.heritage.org/…/kentucky-legislature…
https://www.wdrb.com/…/article_563dc9e1-da30-4e33-8a54…
But if you homeschool?
Depending on which method of schooling you choose, homeschooling is extremely affordable. If you select the unschooling method, in theory, you could get by with a library card.
Online programs, because they are essentially private education delivered via technology at home, are the most expensive option for homeschooling. Some of these online options, truthfully, are nothing more than enrollment at a private school without the physical building. You must also pay for each child participating, unlike in the traditional and unschooling methods.
Traditional programs can cost $300 to $2,500 per student for the entire year. Even better, many of these programs can be designed to cover multiple grade levels simultaneously, saving families with multiple children several thousand dollars.
And yes, online and traditional programs do often provide financial aid if you truly need it.
A shocking number of families are realizing that with some adjustments, such as not needing that Starbucks latte every day, having a single source of income can actually make more money than when both parents work and have to pay someone else to supervise and educate the children. Considering the price of $10,395 or more per child per year would no longer leave the bank account, many families could likely afford to homeschool.
https://www.acellusacademy.com/enrollment-pathways/
https://www.time4learning.com/…/preschool-curriculum
https://k12privateacademy.com/admiss…/tuition-benefits/…
The points above are only a few reasons a family might choose to educate their children at home rather than send them to a private school. I will be covering the topics of bullying, harassment, abuse, discrimination, control over subject matter, and ensuring the children receive a genuine education in part two soon. I want to give these areas due diligence with thorough research, especially in light of the increasing accusations of ignoring gross misconduct of all kinds against public schools. These next topics are not ones to be handled lightly.
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