It's the hot topic outside the kindergarten room, at fund-raising tables and after morning drop-off. Parents are asking: How much more can California lop off public education before they bolt for private schools?

For public schools, 2011-12 could be a turning point.

In recent years schools have endured incremental cuts and annual angst over uncertainty. But with dramatic reductions to the school year, program and staffing expected, many families are contemplating a deposit on a private school slot.

Local private schools report this spring that inquiries and enrollment are up, and even one school that closed several years ago, Calvary Christian Academy in San Jose, plans to reopen in August.

Bellarmine College Preparatory received a record 1,000-plus applications, most for its 400-member freshman class. Several other schools estimated that inquiries and applications are up 25 percent. That includes Valley Christian, which hopes to increase enrollment 5 percent annually for the next few years, Admissions Director Scott Wessling said.

At St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Saratoga, inquiries and applications are up 40 percent over last year, Head of