Sidwell "Fair Share" campaign

[Anonymous]

9:59

Just because it looks like people are buying a lot of nice things doesn't mean they are in good financial shape.

Cars can be leased
Houses can be mortgaged to the hilt
Purses and lunches can be charged

[Anonymous]

Annual Fund contributions can be charged too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:9:59

Just because it looks like people are buying a lot of nice things doesn't mean they are in good financial shape.

Cars can be leased
Houses can be mortgaged to the hilt
Purses and lunches can be charged

Yes, I'm sure that $200 annual fund contribution is going to send them and their Tory Burch flats to the poor house. Hard to feel sorry for them if they are in bad financial shape, charging all this stuff and yet can't help the school out too. I bet that 2-week European Vacation (oh PP, you just HAVE to go, Paris is AMAZING!!!) really took every last dime. Meanwhile, I take one week a year at a popular nearby place, and still manage to contribute to the fund. Maybe I'm the one with my priorities mixed up. I should be spending that money on ME ME ME!

[Anonymous]

What I find fundamentally dishonest is the implication that, if and to the extent that our family can afford it (which we can), our "fair share" means making a contribution equal to the "tuition gap." The "tuition gap" is meant to suggest that Sidwell's costs in educating a child are approximately $40K per child. So, since I am not paying that amount in tuition, and since I can afford to contribute the difference, I should do so. That logic, however, suggests that the $40K is a real number and that Sidwell has reached that number only after doing all it can do to keep down that $40K number. I simply do not believe that Sidwell hasever undertaken a serious effort to keep expenses in control, so I say before asking me to contribute what you define as my "fair share", I require far more convincing that Sidwell has made a serious and good faith effort to run a tight ship. I think that is only"fair" and "rational."

[Anonymous]

The idea that Sidwell is unable to educate our kids on the given tuition is somewhat ridiculous in the first instance. And I question the magnitude of the "gap". Suggesting that families should pay an extra twenty five percent is a bit much.

[Anonymous]

I think a big part of the Fair Share campaign is to provide financial aid to people who could not afford the tuition otherwise. That supports the "economic diversity" goals that many people on DCUM say are important.

[Anonymous]

Not so. I work on Fair Share and our participation numbers are in the range of 94-96% each year. Pretty good, don't you think?

Anonymous wrote:I think the average at Sidwell is in the neighborhood of $1500 per family. But some give substantially more and a surprising number give nothing based on the percentages by class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not so. I work on Fair Share and our participation numbers are in the range of 94-96% each year. Pretty good, don't you think?

Anonymous wrote:I think the average at Sidwell is in the neighborhood of $1500 per family. But some give substantially more and a surprising number give nothing based on the percentages by class.

Those are good numbers! What is the average donation?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not so. I work on Fair Share and our participation numbers are in the range of 94-96% each year. Pretty good, don't you think?

Anonymous wrote:I think the average at Sidwell is in the neighborhood of $1500 per family. But some give substantially more and a surprising number give nothing based on the percentages by class.

Must be recent - the last book I saw (maybe 2 years, ago or whenever they last published one) showed lower numbers.

[Anonymous]

bump

TIA.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not so. I work on Fair Share and our participation numbers are in the range of 94-96% each year. Pretty good, don't you think?

Anonymous wrote:I think the average at Sidwell is in the neighborhood of $1500 per family. But some give substantially more and a surprising number give nothing based on the percentages by class.

Those are good numbers! What is the average donation?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think a big part of the Fair Share campaign is to provide financial aid to people who could not afford the tuition otherwise. That supports the "economic diversity" goals that many people on DCUM say are important.

I fully support providing FA for students whose families otherwise could not afford Sidwell. What Sidwell misses, however, is that, through tuition increases that exceed inflation by several percentage points, Sidwell is simply creating a situation where more families will need FA, which then, in turn, creates the need to increase donations. This circle is nothing more than that, and fundamentally ignores the cost side of the equation. I am not sure there is a business out there whose prices have increased as dramatically as private schools and for so long. Health care, perhaps being the exception. And I am confident private schools do not want to be compared to the messed up health care system.

[SAM2]

Anonymous wrote:I fully support providing FA for students whose families otherwise could not afford Sidwell. What Sidwell misses, however, is that, through tuition increases that exceed inflation by several percentage points, Sidwell is simply creating a situation where more families will need FA, which then, in turn, creates the need to increase donations.

I'm not sure you can blame Sidwell (or any particular school) for these cost increases. It seems like education prices are escalating everywhere. And indeed, it seems like a bigger factor might be the shifting disparity in income between those that can afford luxuries like private school tuition, and those that cannot (without FA). It seems like all these private schools that are working to boost their FA accounts should be applauded, and everyone in the private schools forum should be writing a check (in whatever amount you can afford) to support FA.

Maybe you weren't really trying to cast blame, but just noting that the economics are unfortunate. If so, I apologize for suggesting otherwise.

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately, the cost of private schools is very high. As a result, you have middle class families who can afford to live comfortably--as long as they are diligent about their budget. But that also means that many of them cannot afford private school tuition without financial aid, because an extra $2,000-$3,000 a month (or $25,000-$30,000 per year) for private school would send them screaming to the poor house. For schools that do want economic diversity, it definitely is a conundrum.

[Anonymous]

SAM2 wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I fully support providing FA for students whose families otherwise could not afford Sidwell. What Sidwell misses, however, is that, through tuition increases that exceed inflation by several percentage points, Sidwell is simply creating a situation where more families will need FA, which then, in turn, creates the need to increase donations.

I'm not sure you can blame Sidwell (or any particular school) for these cost increases. It seems like education prices are escalating everywhere. And indeed, it seems like a bigger factor might be the shifting disparity in income between those that can afford luxuries like private school tuition, and those that cannot (without FA). It seems like all these private schools that are working to boost their FA accounts should be applauded, and everyone in the private schools forum should be writing a check (in whatever amount you can afford) to support FA.

Maybe you weren't really trying to cast blame, but just noting that the economics are unfortunate. If so, I apologize for suggesting otherwise.

I am not sure who you are referring to. Of course, Sidwell should be applauded for its FA commitments. But what about expenses!!!! There is NO legitimate reason for private school tuition to have increased by several points above inflation for decades. Your correct observation that education prices are escalating everywhere is not really an answer. No other business has experienced this level of increases for this length period of time. As with many elite universities, rationality disappears when one discusses their alma mater, their child's private school or any school they would like their child to attend. So, while I am not alleging fraud or mismanagement, I do think that private school administrators and boards have utterly failed to make the necessary and tough decisions that are required to control expenses. So, in that sense, blame should be placed directly on the school administrators and boards. Sidwell, of course, is not unique in this regards. But, perhaps, Sidwell should take the lead here.

[Anonymous]

Two thoughts:

Giving generously to your college alma mater years after graduating in appreciation for what it has meant to you is different from giving more money to your child's school on top of a hefty tuition payment.

Just heard about, but have not yet seen, the Sidwell solicitation letter. If it's true that they are "asking" for $2500, that shows a lot of nerve to pick any number, much less one that that high (regardless of what formula it is based on).