Originally Posted by Dude
But if the district were to concentrate services at a school, not only would they likely find 20 kids in the city schools for an all-day program, but they'd also attract homeschoolers (and their budget dollars) back into the fold.

Ah. Well, that explains why we don't do gifted here. Very little of our budget is per-pupil, and the schools are overcrowded. If more kids are pulled out-of-district, homeschool, private, or otherwise, the district can avoid opening more schools and spread the existing budget more generously among those who stay. In an extremely screwed-up way, they are trying to give the best education to those who can't afford to buy their own, but with a strong incentive to not make it truly the best around.