Is your private having another tuition increase?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:True about Sidwell (lower school). People are very upset but not many feel comfortable speaking up, I think.

Parent of 2 Sidwell Lower School students -- haven't heard anyone other parents mention it either, but I find it hard to believe it hasn't caused some discomfort. DH and I gasped when we saw the letter from the Board but will keep our kids there b/c it's a good fit for them.

How much did tuition go up for lower school Sidwell students?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hmmm… as we hone in on the ultra wealthy and shed off the $200K or so "average" families…that will definitely result in a most obnoxious cohort of students -- it will be harder and harder for these private schools to act on ex-missions of the wealthiest kids who may, in these often intimate class sizes, bring a less than healthy atmosphere to a class that is diverse economically. The schools will not only lose the middle class families, but some of the brightest children who will look good on the college acceptances won't be able to afford it. Then we get into padding the universities and the William Kennedy Smith and George Hugely the V types…sailing on because of money --not scholarship

Another problem is this:

As schools lose their middle and upper middle class, they become more and more beholden to full pay families who can pay full fare + donate $$$. So, when problems arise with the DC of one of these " important families to our community" what is the fall out ?? The school caves to the VIP for their $$$$ and your school loses what : quality teachers ( the really good ones) who will not compromise their integrity ( snow flake is getting that bad mark, sorry) , Admin burn out ( and the strain of constantly bringing in new Admin blood) . and ultimately mutiny among the Indians and the school falls apart.

Teachers want to teach, not kiss ass. Administrators need to be able to lead a school and manage their faculty , not "partner with parents" and kids need to follow the rules . Money and and over dependance on same corrupts all of this.

+1 And leads to administrators begging parents to turn in forms, not be late for drop-off, etc. ridiculous! No consequences for those with $$$$$$

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have kids in public and private -- they have different needs. They have all gotten very good educations (oldest from public now at an Ivy for those who care about these things -- we did not go to those schools, so we are not too wed to them). The primary difference I see in private is the personalization that occurs: the myriad ways in which teachers know students (most public school coaches do not teach academic courses), the amount of writing students are required to do because teachers have fewer students and, thus, are able to grade more papers, and the less chaotic environment, which I attribute almost entirely to size. Our kids in private (which we have done only for middle and high) need less chaos and more practice writing than our kids in public. But whether it is worth the money is really an individual decision based on the needs of individual kids. So we were willing -- at MS and HS to make different decisions for different kids. Our public school kids do not resent our private school ones (in fact our oldest told us he did not think his public school would be a good fit for one of his younger siblings). We have been clear that we are going to be good advocates for their getting the best education for them, regardless of where they are. All this is to say, it would not have been worth it for our two kids who went to public, as that environment served them very well, but it was absolutely worth it for our slightly less extroverted but bright and sporty youngest child.

Thank you for posting. I am in a similar situation but the one in public is jealous of the private school experience. It is hard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hmmm… as we hone in on the ultra wealthy and shed off the $200K or so "average" families…that will definitely result in a most obnoxious cohort of students -- it will be harder and harder for these private schools to act on ex-missions of the wealthiest kids who may, in these often intimate class sizes, bring a less than healthy atmosphere to a class that is diverse economically. The schools will not only lose the middle class families, but some of the brightest children who will look good on the college acceptances won't be able to afford it. Then we get into padding the universities and the William Kennedy Smith and George Hugely the V types…sailing on because of money --not scholarship

Another problem is this:

As schools lose their middle and upper middle class, they become more and more beholden to full pay families who can pay full fare + donate $$$. So, when problems arise with the DC of one of these " important families to our community" what is the fall out ?? The school caves to the VIP for their $$$$ and your school loses what : quality teachers ( the really good ones) who will not compromise their integrity ( snow flake is getting that bad mark, sorry) , Admin burn out ( and the strain of constantly bringing in new Admin blood) . and ultimately mutiny among the Indians and the school falls apart.

Teachers want to teach, not kiss ass. Administrators need to be able to lead a school and manage their faculty , not "partner with parents" and kids need to follow the rules . Money and and over dependance on same corrupts all of this.

+1 And leads to administrators begging parents to turn in forms, not be late for drop-off, etc. ridiculous! No consequences for those with $$$$$$

What do you suggest as consequences? Expulsion or suspension or counseling out for late submission of forms? Suspensions for late drop-off? You realize that both of those situations (late forms or late for drop-off) might be most likely to occur with single-parent families or those with two working parents?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$300k+ HHI here, so no prospect of financial aid. We've loved our independent school, which our kids have been attending for 7 years. The tuition increase this year, on top of the increased cost of moving from a lower division to a higher division, means the price has ticked up enough to make it financially irresponsible for us to keep the kids there, especially with college on the horizon. So we're heading to our local public this fall--and three days after the decision was made, I am feeling relief more than anything else. Maybe a little excitement about spending a tiny bit of the 'saved' money on a summer vacation .

I feel the same way, it feels irresponsible to spend 40-50k on high school. Our public is a great option and I am having a hard time significantly better outcomes for private kids over puble.
We have not come to the same conclusion as you but probably will. What are your children thinking?

What my kids are thinking: day 1 was NOOOOOOOOO! My life is over. By day 3 they were acclimated to the idea. Day 5 they're excited about being in class with the friends they know from the neighborhood and sports. As usual, the kids are proving more adaptable and resilient than my husband and I give them credit for being.

[Anonymous]

3.2% increase at our school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$300k+ HHI here, so no prospect of financial aid. We've loved our independent school, which our kids have been attending for 7 years. The tuition increase this year, on top of the increased cost of moving from a lower division to a higher division, means the price has ticked up enough to make it financially irresponsible for us to keep the kids there, especially with college on the horizon. So we're heading to our local public this fall--and three days after the decision was made, I am feeling relief more than anything else. Maybe a little excitement about spending a tiny bit of the 'saved' money on a summer vacation .

I feel the same way, it feels irresponsible to spend 40-50k on high school. Our public is a great option and I am having a hard time significantly better outcomes for private kids over puble.
We have not come to the same conclusion as you but probably will. What are your children thinking?

What my kids are thinking: day 1 was NOOOOOOOOO! My life is over. By day 3 they were acclimated to the idea. Day 5 they're excited about being in class with the friends they know from the neighborhood and sports. As usual, the kids are proving more adaptable and resilient than my husband and I give them credit for being.

That's great PP, and they will leave a life lesson about living within income. Good for you!

[Anonymous]

We just got our forms for next year. Tuition only went up $300. *huge sigh of relief*

[Anonymous]

What is your base tuition PP? That is not even inflation!

[Anonymous]

$14,200 went to $14,500. This is for lower school at a small private in the suburbs, not one of the big 3/big 5/big 10 (however many there are). The upper school tuition went up about $1,000.

The biggest thing that seems to be helping our school keep costs down is the international/boarding program. Those kids pay a fortune, and there is no financial aid available for them.

[Anonymous]

3% is pretty typical. there have been years at some schools where the increase was 9%.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:3% is pretty typical. there have been years at some schools where the increase was 9%.

2%

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:$300k+ HHI here, so no prospect of financial aid. We've loved our independent school, which our kids have been attending for 7 years. The tuition increase this year, on top of the increased cost of moving from a lower division to a higher division, means the price has ticked up enough to make it financially irresponsible for us to keep the kids there, especially with college on the horizon. So we're heading to our local public this fall--and three days after the decision was made, I am feeling relief more than anything else. Maybe a little excitement about spending a tiny bit of the 'saved' money on a summer vacation .

PP, we're in the same income bracket and made the same decision - but a year ago. DC #1 was upset about leaving the beloved private school, but has transitioned easily and is doing well. (Turns out that the math program is actually more challenging.) DC #2 had no qualms about moving to the new school and, while I find that the teacher/student ratio in that class seems unmanageable, he also seems to be thriving. As for the extra money -- god, yes. All of a sudden we've got $60K+ extra and are putting it into college and retirement savings. I say, go for it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$300k+ HHI here, so no prospect of financial aid. We've loved our independent school, which our kids have been attending for 7 years. The tuition increase this year, on top of the increased cost of moving from a lower division to a higher division, means the price has ticked up enough to make it financially irresponsible for us to keep the kids there, especially with college on the horizon. So we're heading to our local public this fall--and three days after the decision was made, I am feeling relief more than anything else. Maybe a little excitement about spending a tiny bit of the 'saved' money on a summer vacation .

PP, we're in the same income bracket and made the same decision - but a year ago. DC #1 was upset about leaving the beloved private school, but has transitioned easily and is doing well. (Turns out that the math program is actually more challenging.) DC #2 had no qualms about moving to the new school and, while I find that the teacher/student ratio in that class seems unmanageable, he also seems to be thriving. As for the extra money -- god, yes. All of a sudden we've got $60K+ extra and are putting it into college and retirement savings. I say, go for it!

Oh - a couple of more things. Both kids still see their old friends, and are thrilled to have classmates within walking distance for after-school playdates. There are downsides, of course. They have to do with the more limited course offerings at the upper/high school level -- and the lack of strong communications. That administrative staff at your private school are all about keeping the parents as well as the kids happy, and the public schools really don't have the resources to coddle us parents.

[Anonymous]

What private schools have teachers unions ? WIS does, any
Others?