It smells like Kraft construction maybe?

Kraft built the schools for CCPS at about 150% of the average cost around the State.

I say build it with the $4 million you have and say your thanks!

http://www.seacrest.org/

it's a private school that depends on paid enrollment and donations. not like the PUBLIC schools that eat well and are fat from your REQUIRED tax dollars.

let's get vouchers going and grow more successful private insitutions.

maybe we could get some conversation on the topic of vouchers if enough posts are made to get it into the "hot topics" list?

how many posts does it take to make the "top ten"?

i wonder if Teamsters work on their A/C and plumbing?

do private schools have Superintendants that make $300,000 a year?

do you think one Super making $300,000 is more cost effective than dozens of private school Supers at probably much less to educate 40,000 kids?

how do students of private schools get to school? in limos? there are private school bus companys.

do any of you think private schools are more succesful because there is the threat of "kicking the kid to the curb" of public school if he/she misbehaves or dosn't "toe the line" or even if the parents don't participate?

what could happen to "special needs" kids if public schools became obsolite? would anyone take on that task as the public schools have?

do any of you teachers think you are more respected in public school than a private organization? ever hear of a 403b?

and why are the public schools the recruiting ground for universities and the NBL, NBA and NFL?

are these sports really a money maker for the public schools?

as girls are now required to be included per Title 10 do they really want to play football, baseball and basketball? arn't they more into dance, arts, computer science and friendship?

oh ya, i forgot weightlifting. girls are really into that!

ao are all of you better at complaining? can't talk about possible solutions?

so far no one regards public education vs private education worth commenting. then WHY do you complain? you got what you got because you do not vote. you do not participate. does that mean Florida/ the USA is locked in?

locked into a system with no regard to local imput? no interest in your childs skills? just a cookie cutter approch to a nationalistic goal?

i wonder if bagpiper would be interested if his government/union job disapeared when we go to full privatization?

do any of you think private schools use unionized custodians?

sh4r3al1, i thought the whole thing is about education?

tell me why are sports so important? do pro sports make the big donations? donations to keep the flow of possible pro talent coming? is public education being subsidised by pro sports?

then why am i paying 60% of my property tax to the state + federal dollars also from the taxpayer into this public system?

and on that subject, don't we also pay taxes for community parks and recreation that have unused basketball, baseball, soccor, skateparks and BMX courses? BMX was in the Olympics ya know?

not tring to offend, sh4r3al1. but community parks are also wonderful places for our kids to be involved in sports with full parental participation. my questions involve the public school system.

also, sh4r3al1, if this is gonna get on the "hot topics" list i need more posts!

ok we're on the list! woohoo.

come on bagpiper, defend your union against the "right to work".

teachers defend your resistance to privatization.

maybe you all don't like the idea of accountability to the community?

ya i know, if it's not about some bum stealing 42 cents or some child having to walk home you people have no interest.

it's all about grabbing whatever taxpayer money you can.

but this article is about people who are doing it without your help. and still paying their taxes i'm sure.

how about you public school bus drivers? how many of you are double-dipping retirees? would you still do the job if you only were paid? do you think your chrildren will be able to scam the taxpayers as you have? or is that what you vote for?

Mimi,
My private school teacher friends tell me that they put up with a lot of snotty, disrespectful kids because their parents are making financial contributions to the school-- they are encouraged to just deal with them, and not make waves. Don't know if it's like that in all private schools-- my contacts in that arena are limited.

There's no doubt that CCPS is financially mismanaged.
Just received a small town (weekly) newspaper from an area out of state that I keep tabs on. The headline said that the school system had ended up with a surplus of $300,000 this year. They were discussing how to invest/save it. All expenditures are carefully reviewed, and made very public. Any extravagant spending is immediately and sharply criticized by the residents (and since everyone knows everyone else, you'd better dare not throw away your neighbor's money!).
Incidentally, they recently published a list of all the school personnel and their salaries! Amazingly, the teachers were paid WAY more than they are here, as the residents believe that's very important to retaining quality educators.
This is in a very rural, working class area.

I wish I knew more about the business end of the school system-- I would run for school board. Unfortunately, the only thing I have going for me is that I am extremely honest and thrifty.
But I digress...

well, snotty kids or not, that seems to be what we are breeding. my main point here is do what the state government is proposing:

From Brent Batten’s column Wednesday, September 3, 2008

House Speaker Designate Ray Sansom of Destin said He doesn’t buy the argument that local governments and school districts have been deeply affected by the cuts, saying that school spending has only been reduced 2 percent in the past year, after roughly doubling in the six years prior to that.

“I don’t see why school districts need to raise their millage rate. Government shouldn’t expand itself when business is having to cut back,” Sansom said.

He promised, without specifics, to eliminate bureaucracy and redundancies in government as one way to meet the revenue challenges.

“There will be a lot of people talking about raising taxes. We will resist that,” Sansom said. “We’re going to be committed to Republican principles of reducing taxes.”

reduce redundancy, eliminate excess bureaucracy.

but the above posters are saying private schools are populated with snotty nosed rich kids. maybe the private sector needs an infusion of "normal" kids?

also a $4 million donation to CCPS would save 250 legal workers jobs. instead of paying Kraft with their illegal workers. Seacrest could play at any public court.

and that is the point i am trying to make!

people on the taxpayer's payroll get all worked up when they think their easy money may be cut off. they do not care about or concider alternatives. just gimme more,gimme,gimme.

here is a school K-12, that does more with $4mil than hardly would get noticed in the public school empire. $4 mil is chump change to them. but with a $1 billion budget they cry crisis, no raises for anyone but management and gotta lay off the workers.

thank you for helping me with this joke, i've been working around the house and preparing meals for next week.

school vouchers were the area of dissusion i was looking for BTW.

i'm going to bookmark this thread and post it when "they" all start whining in two weeks! and maybe when their contracts expire and they whine. and maybe as long as NDN keeps it in their archive!

maybe i'm a fool, but i'm not the only one. Imagine.

My son went to Seacrest and graduated just before the High School was started. Our family grew up along with Seacrest. I can not find the words to express how wonderful those eight years were for us.

We could not afford full tuition, but Seacrest found a way to help our son stay at the school. The have a tuition assistance program, a scholarship program, and a great financial aid program. The families that can afford the whole tuition subsidize those who can't.

To the generous benefactor that made such a generous donation I want you to know that you've made a investment in the minds of the kids that will learn and grow at Seacrest. The return on your investment will be unmeasurable -- truly priceless.

To those that have blogged their negative, jealous and nasty remarks I can understand your many frustrations. We were a fortunate family that came across some generous educators and administrators that made my son's education possible. Please don't fault this school for being the school that it is...they are doing the best they can for as many as they can, everyday!

well MarcoRobert i don't know where you got the "jealous and nasty" from but i have been beating a drum here for more private schools like Seacrest for the unwashed masses that are trapped in the beast called public schools.

perhaps you could tell us why you thought Seacrest was a better choise for youe child?

Seacrest Country Day School
2008 – 2009 Tuition and Fees
Prekindergarten through Grade 5.......................... $13,246.00
Grade 6 through Grade 8........................................$13,976.00
Grade 9 through Grade 12......................................$16,375.00

think that's expensive? for at least the last few years CCPS spends $25,000.00 per child.

As a Seacrest supporter, I'm thrilled about this huge donation. No longer directly involved with the school, I know it intimately as I do CCPS. Both do their very best for children, and both, in my opinion, deserve the community's full support. Seacrest is unique in its very creative, yet highly academic approach, not just because it's private - many private schools do no more than the minimum - but because of its philosophy. The number of students receiving financial support is huge.