We do have some issues w/ how these regs were introduced. Typically, the stakeholders are involved but we had no notification whatsoever. They were voted to be moved for public comment before there was permitted any comment on the vote. When we did comment the day after the vote we were cut short in our comment time. I don’t think it was purposeful but it certainly wasn’t handled carefully.

That is just fabulous… But the legislative offices that will be open to hear the comments do not include Homer (odd, in that we have about 700 home schoolers), no toll free call in number has been provided for comment, and although it looks like there may be in excess of 10,000 total in and out of district home school students, the proposed comment period is *2 hours long*. I get the distinct impression that nobody actuslly wants to hear our comments.

Our family is strongly committed to home school. We will remain so, with or without support. I would prefer to work through the district if I can, because it *does* fund my local schools. It brings jobs to my community, and a potentially better education to the peers of my children.

If the decisions regarding home schooling mean that we have to choose to forego support, we will. This would be a funding loss to our district, and to the whole state - and that would be a shame.

If DEED is serious about quality education for all children, they need to realize that the commitment of some of us to home school is actually a support to the state education program, and to our districts offering home school support.

It would be wise to remember that federal funding to our state rests on our continued enrollment in these home school support programs, and to try and include us in this dialogue. Again, I see no effort being made to include us.

Regarding funding. Per student funds come from the state not the Feds. Most Federal bucks are directed toward special education and thus not an issue unless your child has an IEP.

Current Base Allocation is around $5200/kid and correspondence schools get 80% of that. So, directly from the state legislature your district receives over $16,000 for your 4 kids. If you are not in a charter school you also receive the benefit of mill money, i.e. your property taxes.

The larger issue here though really isn’t homeschooling and what kind of a job parents do to educate their own kids. The issue is one of local control and whether or not your district should be regulated to accommodate other districts hundreds of miles away who want to enroll kids in your district. Think IDEA, Raven, PACE, PEAK and so on. Their abuses and desire to enroll kids your district are what is driving these proposed regs. It really is time to start pushing back against the statewide schools.

The point of homeschooling is that you may choose curriculum and materials that best address the needs and gifts of your own child.

Curricular materials used by the school districts are not necessarily designed for use with a single child, or in a home. If I am restricted to these materials, I may not be able to effectively school my child - and so long as I do *effectively* school my child, I leave the extra money for the in-school kids who need to pay their heat!

It is foolish to restrict homeschoolers to inappropriate materials that do not address their child as closely as possible - there is no need to accommodate other people’s kids in your home school curricula.

It seems reasonable to me that the district may refuse to pay for clearly inadequate materials as core curricula, or materials that would generally be found to be inappropriate curricular material in general… But the core of homeschool is CHOICE.

There is a LOT of good material out there, much of it a good deal better than the district can offer to a mixed classroom - and sadly far more than any school board could possibly review… How many additional people are you planning to hire to do this reviewing, how many buildings will you build… and is the judgement of homeschooling parents so poor that taking this money out of the direct education spending for administration actually *worth* it?

I am fine with being subject to submitting my core materials for district DISapproval, and that any disapproval is specific and supported by facts, and appealable before a 3rd party at no cost to myself… 30 days would give you enough time to check copyright, source and complaints or advisories on the materials. Incredible trouble and expense you guys seem to want to take on!

This compromise would allow the district to VETO any core material that violates seperation of church/state or which is clearly inadequate or outdated, without jeapardizing parental choice. I have benefitted from the curricular tips of our homeschool advisor, especially for my ‘pilot kid’- oldest one ever being test rat for the next level text!

If the district were to allow the comment of parents and advosors on proposed materials, and maintain a list of those that have been reviewed by parents/advisors or the board itself, for use of all the homeschool advisors, or maybe even for inspiration of the districts that would be worthwhile and non-limiting.

To maintain choice of curricular materials, I would homeschool my children without the ’support’ of the school district - just as many parents did before the public homeschools became available. My children would get the very same individually focused excellent education I give them now… But the state of Alaska wouldn’t be counting them as heads for federal funding.

What is nearly 7000 students times the latest federal per capita funding? how many more homeschoolers are migrant workers? what does that rack up to?
Last I looked, total funding for each of my children into my district was close to $10,000 each for 4. You are welcome to the difference, but you are not welcome to degrade the education of my children.