The umbrella school question

Why we don't belong to an umbrella school?  I have been asked this question a few times in the past.  The first answer I've given has been that there are benefits to registering with the county (in Florida).  In our state the law requires that we file a home education notice, keep attendance and other records, etc.  Some may think that it is not the State's business to keep track of what parents do with their children, but we don't agree with this position.  So, we have registered our children as they came of age for schooling according to the state. 

When we were considering our options, we found there were a variety of options to choose from in the lists of state approved umbrella schools. There were and still are many options, schools offering a variety of services and prices can range from a couple of hundred dollars to thousands. Registering with an umbrella school is indirectly registering with the State.  The umbrella school will have to report to the state and be subject to the same standards as any private school, so the government involvement is there anyway.  Some umbrella schools do only record keeping for a minimal fee, others offer services such as co-op classes, record keeping, graduation ceremonies, high school guidance counseling, testing opportunities, etc. Most of the time, parents can pick and choose which of these services are most suitable for their children/families; however, all of these services can be found outside the umbrella school system, so it is not necessary to be under an umbrella school to have these benefits.  Many homeschool groups organize co-op classes and opportunities for interaction with other homeschooling families for a smaller yearly membership fee.  

Some of the reasons why we don't choose to participate or belong to an umbrella school are:

1. Cost - We have saved thousands of dollars by simply registering with the county.  Not only is this a free service, but we also have benefitted from tremendous savings by dual-enrolling our children in university and community college classes for free through the county's homeschooling office.  Many umbrella schools do not offer this service and others charge a fee per class.  If the umbrella school offers classes, then the subjects they cover will not have dual-enrollment options.

2. Time saved - The time spent traveling to umbrella school activities and classes did not seem worth the sacrifice to us, considering that we had several options for similar benefits closer to home.

3. Convenience - The obligation of reporting records, lesson plans, curriculum choices, test results, etc. by a given deadline was just another chore that seemed unnecessary to us.  

4. Independence - The County Homeschooling Office in both counties where we've lived has been very helpful and prompt in responding to questions and helping us with administrative work such as filling records with Florida Bright Futures, keeping testing records, and providing us with letters for dual enrollment at universities and community colleges.  This service has given us the independence to apply directly to colleges and universities, applying for scholarships, maintain our own lesson plans - free of umbrella school administrators' curriculum requirements or homeschooling reports of any kind.  

I understand that there are some situations that will be well served by umbrella schools.  Each family must judge based on their family's needs.  For us, registering with the county has worked very well for the last twenty-two years.

Links!
HSLDA - Homeschooling under your state's law (FL)
Florida Department of Education - Home Education Requirements