Posted on 02/26/2007 8:20:35 PM PST by patton
This morning, I was waiting with my five-year old daughter at the bus stop, for her daily commute to Kindergarten on the cheese wagon. Our golden retriever waited with us, being her usual hyperactive self.
While we waited, two things of note happened - first, there was a spectacular car wreck at the light a block down the street. Cops arrived in mere moments, the ambulance a few minutes later, as they should. Good for us - we have excellent city services. Prayers for all involved - I hope their injuries are not too serious.
Then, a city work crew showed up, lined their trucks up across from the bus stop, and proceeded to offload their equipment.
The bus was delayed by the car crash, so while the police sorted things out, we watched the city crew get to work.
Snowblowing the city park.
"I beg your pardon?", you are thinking.
Snowblowing the city park.
Hmmm. Perhaps we have too much government.
Anyway, Kelly got on the bus, and I went on with my day, with a burning curiousity about what, exactly, we are paying for, in our little Virginia city of 10,000 residents.
A web search was in order.
First, the schools - we have a city-wide K-12 enrollment of 1863 kids. Dividing the schools budget by that number, we spend $21,000 per kid for education each year.
But wait - we just built a new school, at a cost of $30.8 million. I called the city comptroller, and he informed me that loan is being paid off like a mortgage, at about $3m per year. Add another $2000/kid each year, as this is in the city budget, not the school budget. Hmmm.
Armed with this tidbit, I glanced at the rest of the city budget, to see what else was in there.
Another $2000/kid per year, for things like maintenance of the school rec fields, by the parks department.
So, from what I could find on the web during lunch, sending a kid to kindergarten in Falls Church, VA, costs about $25,000 per year, per kid.
I could not find data on the mandatory-until-12-years-old after-school daycare, or on the assorted fees paid directly by parents (e.g., I paid $150 for my 17 year old to park at the HS), and, ironically, the cost of snow removal from the schools.
But let us assume this averages another $1,000/kid, per year.
We are in the ballpark of $26,000 for a kid in kindergarten.
For reference, Harvard tuition is $30,500 per year. So public school kindergarten in my city is cheaper.
But just barely.
The very exclusive private school Al Gore attended in DC, when his dad was a Senator, currently charges $19,000 per year.
Wow. That is cheaper than kindergarten in Falls Church!
Cool! I lived in Falls Church (on Van Buren) when my dad was stationed at the Pentagon in the early 60's. We attened the Falls Church. My brother found some antique horseshoes there once. I went to Madison Elementary School. I remember like it was yesterday when the principal came to the door of our classroom and announced that the President had been shot.
Madison got knocked down in the 70's, due to declining enrollment. That is why we just spent $31m on a new school.
Ping.
Which one?
Don't you have anything better to do during your lunch break, like um, maybe EAT?????
I can eat at my desk...LOL
More ritzy schools that are cheaper than PS kindergarten (PE consists of horseback riding, etc)
Congressional Schools of VA - 19,250
Flint Hill Academy - 22,935
And the only school I found that cost more than PS kindergarten - Madiera at 28,330
madiera? not sending the bug there... :(
FYI, as someone whose kids all attend private schools, let me tell you that almost all private schools have endowment funds, and gala fundraisers, all of which go to supplement the tuition. we have received calls every year from Visitation, and now Gonzaga, asking for donations to the annual fund on top of already hefty tuition. xsteen will be solicited for her OWN donation to Visitation, next year, her first year in college. so yes, public schools are grossly inefficient in their money management, private schools do a much better job, but tuition is not the only $$$ paying the frieght at these schools.
I agree - and most catholic schools recieve some parish support.
But the cost of a public kindergarten education is a crime, IMHO.
Interesting accounting bump.
I am amazed that this went nowhere - I was astounded to find out what public education really costs.
I guess most folks are just jaded to it.
Sad.
i am surprised it took you this long to figure this out, frankly, this is your third kid. imagine how thrilled we are to pay the same taxes to support those schools, in which our kids have not and will not spend one minute.
It's not that I lacked a sense of something rotten in denmark, it is that I lacked time to go research it.
And your joy at this epiphany is just my revenge for the whole SS thing. ;)
Actually, there is an endowed PS in VA - it is paid for by the endowment interest, not taxes. I have to really look into that.
But first, I want to see how much we spend on the 8-bed homeless shelter, with no kitchen.
Bet it is over a million.
Sigh. Tell xsteen she is a genious, it IS FEWFC.
Which one what? President? Kennedy. Church? THE Falls Church. Speaking of Kennedy, my father, a major at the time, was responsible for changing the code for military communications during the Cuban missile crisis. No doubt it is now far more sophisticated and far faster than the 1/2 hour gap between code changes back then.
Well...bummer. I found out last year that the house we lived in when my father was stationed at Wright-Patterson AFB is now a swimming pool in a city park. Almost makes me feel like I imagined that part of my life.
Sounds like a few of you responding on this thread know each other. An interesting accounting twitch is that in Washington State (and a few others), a child can obtain his associate's degree tuition-free if he is enrolled in a public high school. The state says it is less expensive in the long run. Huh? My homeschooled son was one of the many homeschoolers to take advantage of that. Enroll in public high school, never set foot in it except to grab a transcript for a four-year college, and graduate from high school and junior college at the same time. Not a bad deal...
Not bad at all. Clever.
See page 2 of this weeks FCNP. LOLOLOL.
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