money to homeschool from government?

[reignbelle]

Hi I am in Michigan. I was recently talking to a friend of mine and she said someone told her that they receive money from the government to homeschool. Is this true? Would it be a grant, tax right off, or maybe a special group their in? Ive never heard of this and cannot find any info online. My frined wont be seeing the person anymore so I can not get anymore info form her. Thanks

[CherryBomb]

From what I understand, in Alaska the state helps pay for homeschooling, but other than that, IDK. I've been homeschooling for the last 2 years with no help from the gov't

[Smithie]

In some states, you can enroll in an "umbrella school" and receive a stipend to purchase curriculum materials of your choice from an approved list (and the approved list is sometimes quite extensive). I don't if you're technically homeschooling or technically not (I think it depends on the state), but if you are choosing the curriculum and teaching the child in your home, to me that's homeschooling. Weekly extracurriculars are also offered by some umbrella schools in a centralized "campus" location.

I *heart* umbrella schools. Unfortunately, I don't think Michigan has a state-funded umbrella school program. You might call up these folks and ask if they know anything about how to get state money for homeschooling: http://www.clonlara.org/

[2xy]

I don't know the deal in Michigan, but I do know that it's a high regulation state and it's possible that people receive some sort of funding if they register with an umbrella school or do some sort of accredited distance learning. Or maybe the family in question has a special needs child who gets state services.

Most homeschoolers that I know are against government funding for homeschoolers. Government money = government oversight. We want more freedoms, not less.

[reignbelle]

Originally Posted by 2xy

I don't know the deal in Michigan, but I do know that it's a high regulation state and it's possible that people receive some sort of funding if they register with an umbrella school or do some sort of accredited distance learning. Or maybe the family in question has a special needs child who gets state services.

Most homeschoolers that I know are against government funding for homeschoolers. Government money = government oversit. We want more freedoms, not less.

I thought Michigan was low on regulations? Is there a website that has all that information. I thought Michigan didn't even have registration anymore. I differently don't want anyone over seeing our homeschooling because I plan on not following "regular" timetable.

[Smithie]

"Most homeschoolers that I know are against government funding for homeschoolers. Government money = government oversight. We want more freedoms, not less."

How nice for your family that you can afford to disdain government funding. Homeschooling is going to cost me at least a couple of thousand dollars this year, plus large amounts of time taking ds around to the various scattered places where he does extracurriculars that require a group of kids and/or expensive infrastructure. It would sure be handy if some of my property tax money would come back around to help my kid play soccer and take music lessonswith other homeschooled kids in our area.

Homeschooling should not be an option reserved for the economically privileged. (And I realize that dozens of people are now thinking about posting to explain how very poor they are and how much they sacrifice in order to homeschool without the corrupting influence of a government subsidy. Save it. If you can buy materials and stay out of the full-time workforce to teach your children, then you are a member of privileged class of independent homeschoolers, just like me.)

I couldn't care less if some families refuse a homeschool subsidy on principle, but it makes me nuts to think that MY efforts to to get just a little bit of MY tax money spent on the homeschooled children in MY community is made more difficult because the powerful voices at the national level of the independent/sectarian homeschooling movement are so very concerned with the theoretical, as-yet-undemonstrated risk that their family's particular experience will be compromised if homeschooling becomes an economically feasible option for families with fewer resources.



Obviously I have some strong feelings about this. I'm still not over that lady on a local message board who seemed to really think that our state's new K12 charter school was part of Satan's master plan to destroy all our souls. Something tells me that she won't be signing up for an umbrella school anytime soon, even if we were so lucky as to get one.

[fruitfulmomma]

I thought Michigan was low on regulations? Is there a website that has all that information. I thought Michigan didn't even have registration anymore. I differently don't want anyone over seeing our homeschooling because I plan on not following "regular" timetable.

When you receive government funding for your homeschool, you are essentially a public-schooled student with home-based instruction. Part of the state and federal funding goes directly to the school because your child is their student and part comes to you. Normal homeschooling laws no longer apply in this situation. You are bound to whatever rules the school you go through gives you. Most likely you will receive a teacher who oversees all of your work and may come to your home periodically to check on your children. Also if you have religious reasons for homeschooling, be aware that you may not use any tax funds to purchase religious curriculum.

[AAK]

Here is WA state, you can receive funding. We have a couple options. One is through a virtual school. If you enroll full time (you become a ps alternative education student) you can spend $1200 per child per year. You have the option of choosing how to spend it (just no religious curriculum). You can use it towards curriculum, piano lessons, fieldtrips, etc. You can maintain your homeschooling status buy registering as a 90% student or whatever. The amount goes down proportionally. In WA, if you do this, you do submit monthly progress. But otherwise things don't really change. I have heard very good things about the program--considering it myself. They even have area coordinators that create fieldtrip opportunities that might not be available without a group.

amy

[alegna]

We have some public school-at-home types of charters here where yes, you can get money. BUT your kids learn what they say on their schedule and still have to do standardized testing (and to a large extent still have to follow the school calendar) Doesn't work for me, but I have no problem with it being an OPTION. As long as it remains an OPTION and not *the* way to homeschool I'm all for it.

-Angela

[eclipse]

In California (and I'm sure some other states), there are homeschool charter schools in many areas that help pay for curriculum and extra curriculars. Students enrolled in these are technically public school students, but I also consider them homeschooled kids. The charter my kids are enrolled in have a list of curriculum we can choose from for free, but we are not bound to use things off that list. We can also petition for the school to purchase additional curriculum for us for free (I'm working on getting them to buy RightStart math for us for next year) and I've heard it's generally approved unless it's ridiculously expensive or religious (because state funds can't be used for religious materials). They have weekly classes and clubs that are free and optional (my kids did art classes, math club, current events, etc) and also host for fee classes like Mad Science and Lego classes. We also get something like $70/mo that can be used for things like the for the for fee classes on campus, sports/music/foreign language/art classes from independent teachers, educational websites, field trip fees, etc. They offer a lot of field trips throughout the year (optional) anmd subscriptions to a lot of for fee educational websites like Discovery Streaming and Brainpop. In return, they expect us to do yearly state testing starting in grade 2 and have monthly meetings with an educational consultant that basically just records what we have done and plugs it into the state standards for grade level.

So, there are pluses and minuses. For my family, right now, the pluses outweigh the minuses.

[jeteaa]

Here in WA we have parent partnership programs (PPP) where the student is enrolled w/ the school district as a percentage, so you retain your hs status. You then receive a stipend ($1,750/yr) to spend on approved materials and classes. You also have to have a lesson plan of 20 hrs/week and have contact w/ a teacher every week. You can not spend the stipend on anything religious or "high risk" such as sky diving for PE.

[reignbelle]

Thanks for the speedy replies. I've learned a lot.

[yippityskippity]

We've used two charters in CA. One was very much public school at home (UGH!) but the current one is fabulous. We get around $1,000/yr per child for secular curriculum and activities. In exchange we meet with someone from the school once a month for about 15 min. Every semester we hand in one work sample per subject (language arts, math, social studies, science) for a portfolio.

While at our current charter we've basically unschooled DD and encountered NO interference or problems from the charter.

Legally, she's a public school student. Socially she's a homeschooler.

Actually, in California - from a legal standpoint - I don't think homeschooling exists. You're either a private school student (file the PSA), tutored by a credentialed teacher or go through a public charter. (I'm sure someone will correct me if I've missed something )

[TEAK's Mom]

Originally Posted by CherryBomb

From what I understand, in Alaska the state helps pay for homeschooling, but other than that, IDK. I've been homeschooling for the last 2 years with no help from the gov't

The state of Alaska does not help pay for homeschooling. There are a number of small, rural districts that run distance education programs (much like the charter programs in Washington and California). These programs are available to students statewide and do provide funds for curriculum and activities. This increases funding for the rural districts because what they pay out to students is less than they receive per student. The students are considered to be enrolled in those districts and are officially public school students subject to school regulations and standardized testing.

By and large, this is a mutually beneficial arrangement. The funds help families afford to teach their children at home and the extra funds benefit the rural districts. That said, families who use these programs are subject to a great deal more oversight than they otherwise would be. Alaska's homeschool laws are some of the most relaxed in the nation if a family chooses to homeschool independently.

I'm not sure anyone really cares about this, but I wouldn't want anyone to be confused.

[2xy]

Originally Posted by Smithie

How nice for your family that you can afford to disdain government funding. <snip> If you can buy materials and stay out of the full-time workforce to teach your children, then you are a member of privileged class of independent homeschoolers, just like me.)

Thanks, but in ten years of homeschooling, I've almost always held employment of at least 30 hours a week, outside the home. So, spare me the "how nice for your family." I also live thousands of miles away from any relatives, and homeschooled through a divorce as well.

I live in an intrusive, high regulation state. I can only imagine what sort of hoops we'd have to jump through if we got money from the state, too.

[elizawill]

i would love some money from the government personally. it wouldn't effect how we homeschool at all, as i'm already in a high regulated state and either meet or surpass state standards. i'm a wee bit jealous of the ladies that post here every year asking for help in how to spend all that $$. as napoleon dynamite would say, "luuuuucky".

[ocelotmom]

Originally Posted by Smithie

Homeschooling should not be an option reserved for the economically privileged. (And I realize that dozens of people are now thinking about posting to explain how very poor they are and how much they sacrifice in order to homeschool without the corrupting influence of a government subsidy. Save it. If you can buy materials and stay out of the full-time workforce to teach your children, then you are a member of privileged class of independent homeschoolers, just like me.)

You may want to consider addressing this in a less universal and aggressive manner, as it puts even those who may happen to at least partially agree with you on the defensive, and less willing to consider your points.

I'm not going to get into detailed discussion of my family's finances in a public forum, but trust me, we are NOT in a privileged class, except to the extent that we're white people raised in middle class families in the United States. We've chosen to forgo most of the things typically deemed "essential" by those in the privileged classes in order to pursue a lifestyle in line with our values, which includes homeschooling our children.

We've also had to compromise on aspects of their education, because, at this point, we simply can't afford most extracurriculars and outside classes. We still feel that this compromise is "worth it" over sending them away all day to public school.

I have no doubt whatsoever that there are those who really are similarly not particularly privileged who still choose not to compromise their standards about government interference. More power to them.

As it happens, I don't have any problems with taking "government funding" for school. We were enrolled in a public school independent study program this year (which did not provide funds or useful curriculum), and if we were remaining here next year we'd definitely be doing a charter school that provides funds in order to give the kids more opportunities.

But realistically, the amount of money offered by these charters isn't enough to make a major difference for a disadvantaged family. It allows such a family who has chosen to homeschool to offer more educational opportunities for their child, which is a great thing, and may help a disadvantaged family feel that they can provide what they want for their child, but it isn't going to help with housing, putting food on the table, or the other things that are necessary for survival. And those are the big stumbling block for many families, not the ability to buy expensive curriculum or pay for extracurriculars.

[chaoticzenmom]

Originally Posted by Smithie

.....


Obviously I have some strong feelings about this. I'm still not over that lady on a local message board who seemed to really think that our state's new K12 charter school was part of Satan's master plan to destroy all our souls. Something tells me that she won't be signing up for an umbrella school anytime soon, even if we were so lucky as to get one.

LOL, Smithie! That woman must have really angered you!

We just pulled out of a PP program that gave us just enough (500/yr/child) to help pay for music lessons. They had free classes, but those were more "state standards" type things that I didn't want to use.

They really did add new requirements each year. It's that slippery slope that so many people talk about. When the gov't gives you money, they do tell you what to do with it. I look at it like foodstamps, only for education

I think I'm going to stay independent this year, but I'm wondering if I'm just being too proud. My kids could have so much more if we had that stipend. All I"d have to do is to fill out that stupid form each month saying that I'm following all the states rules and regulations. It's not easy to decide either way.

So, yeah, in some states you can get money. Look at your local school district's websites and see if they have alternative programs or homeschool programs. Some school districts take students from other districts into their homeschool programs, so check all of the districts around you to see what they have. Different districts give different amounts. Jetae and I are only miles apart and she gets much more than I got, apparently from a different district. They also all have different requirements. Some want weekly progress, some want monthly. Some want hours listed in various ways. Some want bi-yearly teacher meetings, some want weekly phone calls.

[Theoretica]

I just want to gently mention that homeschooling does NOT need to be an expensive venture. I've homeschooled for well over a decade, including high school, and have NEVER spent that kind of money. I'd be happy to share our general yearly 'school' spending if that would help you any?

[chaoticzenmom]

That's true, Theoretica. Most of the stuff I used the gov't money for was extra-curricular stuff that I would have spent even if the kids were in a brick school. Gymanstics, piano, soccer, etc.