U46 Schools (Elgin, Schaumburg, Streamwood: apartment, to rent, daycare)

[Caver Girl]

I have heard that some of the schools in U46 are trying to improve ... but I'm still not sure I want to send my daughter there. We live in Streamwood. I have heard the Schaumburg schools are better -- does anyone know if there's a way to have a child go to an out of district school? Would you just pay more? I wish the Waldorf schools were closer to us! We've got a few years before we have to make an ultimate decision, but better to start getting prepared now! Also, does anyone know about good private schools? We would NOT want her to attend a religious school though. Did you know that corporal punishment is still allowed at some of them?? I think kids should learn they have to work hard for what they achieve, but no one should be allowed to smack them around!!

[chet everett]

While there are some variations, most public schools in Illinois will only enroll students from out of district if they pay the FULL COST that the District calculates per student. This is often far more than tuition at a private school and very few people pursue this...

Technically, if you live in a hotel/motel you can go to any school you want, but the district will probably verify that you ONLY live in a hotel and have no other address. Even a cheap hotel would cost thousands of dollar for a whole school year...

The smartest thing to do if you want to have better schools is to get involved. If you find from your involvement that you would do better moving then do that.

In Illinois, and many other states, laws prohibit the use of corporal punishment: Illinois Legal Aid | Does Illinois Law Permit Corporal Punishment in Public Schools?

[Caver Girl]

Originally Posted by chet everett

In Illinois, and many other states, laws prohibit the use of corporal punishment: Illinois Legal Aid | Does Illinois Law Permit Corporal Punishment in Public Schools?

Is that only for public schools? When some friends of mine were looking for a private school for their son, one of them would've made them sign a waiver allowing for corporal punishment (ie. - ruler swatting).

Getting involved is a good idea! We really like our home ... and it would be next to impossible to sell it in this economy and get what it's worth. Otherwise I'd have no problem with moving. We sometimes joke (because we want to have a second child) that we can either have one smart child or two stupid kids. Since private school basically means never-ending daycare payments!

[chet everett]

Yep Public schools code.

[chitown85]

Illinois does bar corporal punishment. It is my understanding that religious schools are exempt, but only with parental approval. You will not be able to send your child to an out of district school unless they get expelled or require a special program. It is unlikely that either will occur in U-46, since it is such a big district that they probably have all the programs that one could possibly ask for.

Some districts may still allow you to pay the full cost of attendance per student, but they are few and far between. Many of the best schools are overcrowded and cannot take any more students than they have to (i.e. those who live in the district).

Your other option is to rent a small apartment in Schaumburg and use this as your primary address. You will of course have to drive your children to school, unless you drive them to that apartment and let them take the bus. This is the tactic a lot of divorced parents use to get children into better school districts.

[Caver Girl]

Hm ... then it becomes the question of which costs less, the small apartment or private school? Good tip though, ha ha!

[Caver Girl]

There's been a lot of talk about improvements within U46 as well ... can anyone attest to that? Sorry, I keep remembering things as the day goes on! I also recall hearing that it's a lot of the Elgin schools that brought U46 down, and not necessarily those in Streamwood or other neighboring towns.

[Drover]

Streamwood is probably the best of the U-46 high schools, except maybe the South Elgin high school that just came online a few years ago. That's not to say that Streamwood is a great school, but the two major "problem" schools in the district are Elgin, and to a lesser extent, Larkin.

[icebergsyndrome]

I went to Streamwood High.
I'm still alive.

and starting grad school next month.

[Caver Girl]

Thanks for the hope-filling posts.

My mom tells me when they moved to Lake Zurich (where I was born and raised) people told them the schools there were bad. But they were a lot better by the time it mattered for us. Maybe the same thing will happen here - improvements will continue!