Parent Partnerships Aren't Partnerships

But this has not always been the case.
In Washington state, it has come into the mainstream as a not-so-unusual educational choice. Along with this mainstream homeschooling movement has also come pressure from the NEA to bring homeschoolers back into the realm of public education. They weren't so successful until the implementation of Alternative Learning Experiences (ALEs) or Parent-Partnership Programs (PPPs). Since 2003, the number and attendance of these programs has grown dramatically.
The program our family was involved in offered classes for homeschoolers, two half-days per week, such as junior high and high school sciences, foreign language, computer technology, and writing.

"We received $330 per school year (reimbursed from receipts turned in) per child, and in exchange we just had to turn in the unused books when we were finished with them. We could pass them on to siblings, as long as we stayed in the program, and then turn them in when we are finished. This sounded like a great deal to me! Prior to this I didn't spend $330 in an entire school year, period. Now, I was looking at all sorts of ways to spend every dime of that $330 (times 2) since it was there for me to use. I stopped praying over my purchases, and didn't need to sell much because it belonged to the school. I didn't worry about the money, because it was ever-available. And God wasn't needed in this process, because we now got money from the school. Little did I realize what a dangerous place I had put us in."

Parent Partnership Programs foster dependence on the public schools. When we first began with our local PPP, I didn't see this. I was home schooling our two daughters, then in 2nd and 4th grades, and I was more than happy to hand off some of the teaching to someone else. Where else could they take Spanish? Or music? It wasn't as if we could afford music lessons or tutoring. I saw these extra classes as just that: extra. I was still teaching science at home, but they were getting extra at the school, and that was fine with me. Besides, they "only" went to school for 2 ½ hours twice a week.

When we first began with our local PPP, I didn't see this. I was home schooling our two daughters, then in 2nd and 4th grades, and I was more than happy to hand off some of the teaching to someone else. Where else could they take Spanish? Or music? It wasn't as if we could afford music lessons or tutoring. I saw these extra classes as just that: extra. My kids were really young, and it was easy to think of them that way. I was still teaching science at home, but they were getting extra at the school, and that was fine with me. Besides, they "only" went to school for 2 ½ hours twice a week.

By the end of the second year, I quit teaching any of the subjects that that they took at the PPP. As they got older, those classes became more essential. I handed them over to the public school program, and I stepped back.

I took the money they offered me, where in years past I had carefully planned, budgeted and prayed over every purchase. Once we became involved with the public school program, I didn't "need" to pray over everything. We had more money that we ever could have dreamed of, to spend on any school materials we wanted. I spent time now just perusing homeschool catalogs, to spend all $330 per child that could be reimbursed. Sure, we had to turn the materials in when we were done with them, but they didn't cost us anything. I didn't realize that in this case, "Free" isn't actually free.

Parent Partnership Programs are not partnerships, rather they are dictatorships. They offer you 'help' in the form of classes and money for curriculum, but in exchange you lose that precious time with your children, and you have to account for everything you do, or don't do, with them because you are operating under the school district's agenda. You begin to take what they offer because, 'Well, it's free!' Gymnastics, art, swimming lessons, extra classes, and the next thing you know, you're yelling out spelling words from the front seat of the van while your child is saying 'Mom, slow down, I can't write!'

Here is an interesting article about Alaska's charter schools.
In Minnesota, one school district curriculum director went so far as to try to recruit homeschooling families for part-time "support" classes.