Tuition seem high?? Curious of the Salary of the Head of Your School? Do your research. Here is how.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How can you view 2023 filings? I'm only seeing 2022 for our school.

Former nonprofit person here. Form 990 must be filed on the 15th five months after the organization’s tax year ends. I don’t know if schools operate on the calendar year for tax purposes (which would make the date May 15th), or on a fiscal year that aligns with the school (ending in June or July possibly, as an example, and moving the due date to Nov or Dec). Even if the forms are due mid-May, it could take longer for the forms to be posted publically. My guess is the 2023 forms aren’t available yet. But I’m not an expert on 990 or taxes and have no school experience, just experience with 990 filing for an unrelated nonprofit. This is “informed speculation” on my part.

This. My work's FY ends 6/30. We just filed our 990 for FY23 a few months ago (after filing for various extensions). It counts as 2022 taxes. Our tax form for year 2023 won't be filed until the end of this year at the earliest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find none of this to be a problem?

I can’t believe an assistant head of school is only being paid 130

The issue is the discrepancy between HOS pay and teacher pay, especially when the teachers do the most important work in the school.


A school can survive without a ton of admin. It can’t survive without teachers.

I think you are underestimating what it takes to run a school. And that someone has to be in charge of hiring high quality teachers, creating an environment in which they will want to stay, and leading the way on what is covered in the classroom.

I would say people’s rub is it seems like a large part of steadily climbing tuition is going to the HOS. Meanwhile the Fairfax County Superintendent makes about $380k while overseeing 199 schools and centers from pre-K through12, student population of about 183,000 (including multiple languages and special needs, and economically disadvantaged students). Not to mention 25,175 full-time employees and a budget of $3.5 billion. Heck a HS principal makes only about $200k,at the very top end, and some of them have more students and staff than a private school.

The obvious solution would be to send your kids to FCPS, no?

No. The obvious solution would be to acknowledge that the FCPS head’s job is significantly more difficult and has significantly more widespread impact and this deserves to be paid more. Similarly why on average public school teachers are paid more and required to have credentials.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A head of school has how many hundred people under them and how many millions under their direction? Seems reasonable to me.

And they are in charge of fund raising and have decision power on the direction of the school on most matters (where the board doesn't step in).

This.

And, the head of school gets blamed for EVERYTHING. They take the hits, because everything rests at their feet. There is so much going on outside of the classroom; parents have the privilege of never needing to know about it, because the HoS, board, and admin team handle it.

The job is extremely demanding. There is no down time, no real days off. And to do it well is challenging.

Setting aside running the actual school, managing teachers/directors/admin staff handling discipline issues where they escalate to that level—the HoS must:

- network to help with student placement
- network to attract excellent employees
- stay abreast of market trends to attract families in an increasingly competitive environment
- keep up with educational trends
- serve on boards of other independent schools
- field calls from angry parents who often don’t have all the facts
- make hard decisions, every day

It’s an extraordinarily difficult job. It deserves significant compensation.

And though it’s hard to believe, every school has a significant gap between expenses to educate our children and what we pay in tuition. The economics of independent schools is extremely difficult. No one wants higher tuition, but we all want the benefits of extraordinary teachers, state of the art facilities and tech labs, etc. It’s just damn expensive, and none of us is paying what it actually costs.

Our HOS doesn’t do a fraction of those things and is pretty lame at doing the things they do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find none of this to be a problem?

I can’t believe an assistant head of school is only being paid 130

The issue is the discrepancy between HOS pay and teacher pay, especially when the teachers do the most important work in the school.


A school can survive without a ton of admin. It can’t survive without teachers.

I think you are underestimating what it takes to run a school. And that someone has to be in charge of hiring high quality teachers, creating an environment in which they will want to stay, and leading the way on what is covered in the classroom.

I would say people’s rub is it seems like a large part of steadily climbing tuition is going to the HOS. Meanwhile the Fairfax County Superintendent makes about $380k while overseeing 199 schools and centers from pre-K through12, student population of about 183,000 (including multiple languages and special needs, and economically disadvantaged students). Not to mention 25,175 full-time employees and a budget of $3.5 billion. Heck a HS principal makes only about $200k,at the very top end, and some of them have more students and staff than a private school.

The obvious solution would be to send your kids to FCPS, no?

No. The obvious solution would be to acknowledge that the FCPS head’s job is significantly more difficult and has significantly more widespread impact and this deserves to be paid more. Similarly why on average public school teachers are paid more and required to have credentials.

Take that up on the FCPS or local politics boards. What you say is true but not particularly relevant here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find none of this to be a problem?

I can’t believe an assistant head of school is only being paid 130

The issue is the discrepancy between HOS pay and teacher pay, especially when the teachers do the most important work in the school.


A school can survive without a ton of admin. It can’t survive without teachers.

I think you are underestimating what it takes to run a school. And that someone has to be in charge of hiring high quality teachers, creating an environment in which they will want to stay, and leading the way on what is covered in the classroom.

I would say people’s rub is it seems like a large part of steadily climbing tuition is going to the HOS. Meanwhile the Fairfax County Superintendent makes about $380k while overseeing 199 schools and centers from pre-K through12, student population of about 183,000 (including multiple languages and special needs, and economically disadvantaged students). Not to mention 25,175 full-time employees and a budget of $3.5 billion. Heck a HS principal makes only about $200k,at the very top end, and some of them have more students and staff than a private school.

Have you looked at whether this is true by following tuition changes and HOS salary change over time? I don't think this is the case at our school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For the huge (maybe to some not so huge) tuition checks you are writing for your childrens' education, google the "990 IRS Form" for the school your child attends. (Propublica is one of the many sites where you can find the information.)For a lot of the Greater Washington DC Private schools, that legally are not for profit, generate huge revenues and they have to file the very public 990 Form. One of the major Alexandria "Not-For-Profit" schools that charges close to $40K per year is paying their headmaster, with Salary + Benefits/Bonus near $380,000 per year. The next highest is the assistant head of school who makes, by comparison, a paltry $134,000. These two people don't even step into the classrooms and take up a huge chunk of the school's salary and benefits expenditures.

For some of religious based schools, such as St. Stephen & St. Agnes, their income and expenses flow south to Richmond, as they are actually a business owned by the Episcopal Church of Virginia (along with a handful of other schools across the state-all of whom charge very high fees) and their numbers are buried within the church's financial reports. They don't have to file 990 forms. The schools owned by the church create "income" that helps finance other activities of the Church.

Know where the money flows so you can make informed decisions.

It’s almost like you mean to suggest these people don’t deserve their salaries. The nerve of you. I wish you could be publicly identified for this post so you could be blacklisted at all privates in the area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A head of school has how many hundred people under them and how many millions under their direction? Seems reasonable to me.

And they are in charge of fund raising and have decision power on the direction of the school on most matters (where the board doesn't step in).

This.

And, the head of school gets blamed for EVERYTHING. They take the hits, because everything rests at their feet. There is so much going on outside of the classroom; parents have the privilege of never needing to know about it, because the HoS, board, and admin team handle it.

The job is extremely demanding. There is no down time, no real days off. And to do it well is challenging.

Setting aside running the actual school, managing teachers/directors/admin staff handling discipline issues where they escalate to that level—the HoS must:

- network to help with student placement
- network to attract excellent employees
- stay abreast of market trends to attract families in an increasingly competitive environment
- keep up with educational trends
- serve on boards of other independent schools
- field calls from angry parents who often don’t have all the facts
- make hard decisions, every day

It’s an extraordinarily difficult job. It deserves significant compensation.

And though it’s hard to believe, every school has a significant gap between expenses to educate our children and what we pay in tuition. The economics of independent schools is extremely difficult. No one wants higher tuition, but we all want the benefits of extraordinary teachers, state of the art facilities and tech labs, etc. It’s just damn expensive, and none of us is paying what it actually costs.

Our HOS doesn’t do a fraction of those things and is pretty lame at doing the things they do.

Ours 100% does this at K-8. K-12 I'm sure also works hard but perhaps more schmoozing, enjoying rubbing elbows with elite, and working HARD to shut out ANY negative press about the school.

[Anonymous]

If you find a better school for a lower price, transfer.

[Anonymous]

I'm going to ask my school's board to eliminate the HOS position and reduce tuition $400/yr.

[Anonymous]

HOS at Big 3 schools mostly focus on strategy and fundraising these days. Management of staff, etc., is the responsibility of divisional heads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find none of this to be a problem?

I can’t believe an assistant head of school is only being paid 130

The issue is the discrepancy between HOS pay and teacher pay, especially when the teachers do the most important work in the school.


A school can survive without a ton of admin. It can’t survive without teachers.

I think you are underestimating what it takes to run a school. And that someone has to be in charge of hiring high quality teachers, creating an environment in which they will want to stay, and leading the way on what is covered in the classroom.

I would say people’s rub is it seems like a large part of steadily climbing tuition is going to the HOS. Meanwhile the Fairfax County Superintendent makes about $380k while overseeing 199 schools and centers from pre-K through12, student population of about 183,000 (including multiple languages and special needs, and economically disadvantaged students). Not to mention 25,175 full-time employees and a budget of $3.5 billion. Heck a HS principal makes only about $200k,at the very top end, and some of them have more students and staff than a private school.

The Chief of Staff of the Army makes about $270,000. By your logic, the Fairfax County Superintendent is a grossly overpaid public employee. Private school heads’ salaries are dictated by the market.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find none of this to be a problem?

I can’t believe an assistant head of school is only being paid 130

The issue is the discrepancy between HOS pay and teacher pay, especially when the teachers do the most important work in the school.


A school can survive without a ton of admin. It can’t survive without teachers.

I think you are underestimating what it takes to run a school. And that someone has to be in charge of hiring high quality teachers, creating an environment in which they will want to stay, and leading the way on what is covered in the classroom.

I would say people’s rub is it seems like a large part of steadily climbing tuition is going to the HOS. Meanwhile the Fairfax County Superintendent makes about $380k while overseeing 199 schools and centers from pre-K through12, student population of about 183,000 (including multiple languages and special needs, and economically disadvantaged students). Not to mention 25,175 full-time employees and a budget of $3.5 billion. Heck a HS principal makes only about $200k,at the very top end, and some of them have more students and staff than a private school.

The Chief of Staff of the Army makes about $270,000. By your logic, the Fairfax County Superintendent is a grossly overpaid public employee. Private school heads’ salaries are dictated by the market.

No they aren’t. They are dictated by ego and presumed prestige. The “market” is artificially created and continues to be inflated. This is why they vary so much in what package is offered. The HOS at some area Catholic or Christian schools is less than many of the independents less than the more well known independents (read more expensive). There are people who run whole non profit institutions of vary sizes, including related to education. Do you really believe that none of them have the skills and abilities needed to run a small private school? There are superintendents and principals and staff in public schools who create partnerships, write grants and literally find funds to save schools from closure or to feed and clothe their students. Do you really think these folks don’t have or couldn’t learn the skills needed to run a small private school?

Also your comparison with the Chief of the Army doesn’t invalidate my point, as most people agree that government workers and executives are grossly underpaid in comparison to private industry and based on responsibility. Further, while we are talking about private schools, most of them are not actually private corporations but instead nonprofits. And the market for nonprofits Executive Directors varies widely by size and responsibility. If you look, most are not paid exorbitant salaries and those that are have much larger operations and personnel under their control than a private HOS.

[Anonymous]

I assume that one reason you are sending your child to a private school is for the quality of the experience. Perhaps even a world class educational experience. Always amazes me that people want an exceptional experience but think the leader of the organization should not be compensated as such. I promise you your head of school could make far more in a different role.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A head of school has how many hundred people under them and how many millions under their direction? Seems reasonable to me.

And they are in charge of fund raising and have decision power on the direction of the school on most matters (where the board doesn't step in).

This.

And, the head of school gets blamed for EVERYTHING. They take the hits, because everything rests at their feet. There is so much going on outside of the classroom; parents have the privilege of never needing to know about it, because the HoS, board, and admin team handle it.

The job is extremely demanding. There is no down time, no real days off. And to do it well is challenging.

Setting aside running the actual school, managing teachers/directors/admin staff handling discipline issues where they escalate to that level—the HoS must:

- network to help with student placement
- network to attract excellent employees
- stay abreast of market trends to attract families in an increasingly competitive environment
- keep up with educational trends
- serve on boards of other independent schools
- field calls from angry parents who often don’t have all the facts
- make hard decisions, every day

It’s an extraordinarily difficult job. It deserves significant compensation.

And though it’s hard to believe, every school has a significant gap between expenses to educate our children and what we pay in tuition. The economics of independent schools is extremely difficult. No one wants higher tuition, but we all want the benefits of extraordinary teachers, state of the art facilities and tech labs, etc. It’s just damn expensive, and none of us is paying what it actually costs.

Our HOS doesn’t do a fraction of those things and is pretty lame at doing the things they do.

If that is the case your school will probably not be around for long.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I assume that one reason you are sending your child to a private school is for the quality of the experience. Perhaps even a world class educational experience. Always amazes me that people want an exceptional experience but think the leader of the organization should not be compensated as such. I promise you your head of school could make far more in a different role.

The leader of the organization being highly compensated would be fine if said organization wasn’t also asking families to participate in additional annual fundraising after paying tuition.