Interesting analysis on homeschooling in Virginia – makes the point that homeschoolers would be the 7th largest school division if they were a contiguous group.

And Covid is going to have an effect. Homeschooling will rise regardless, and may especially in the wake of the pandemic.

Here’s the thing, the public school establishment and homeschoolers don’t get on all that well. There is some local option policy so individual divisions have better or worse relationships but overall it’s not great. Sports are a big – and in my view needless – flash point. Some mutual contempt, too, if we’re being honest.

But in an increasingly constrained resource environment – which is the forward looking view given budget pressures – you want all the allies you can get when it comes time to finance education. So a little less antagonism and a little more cooperation might be the smart long term play?

Put differently, if the 7th largest school district in Virginia was totally at odds with the state, we’d pay more attention right?