Anyone making a 6-figure salary (combined or not) receiving financial aid?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Definitely follow-up with the Head, and consider asking for a written response. I have no problem with annual giving that improves the facilities and/or helps keep teacher salaries competitive. I really have no objection to financial aid for exceptionally bright and talented children from underprivileged backgrounds. I strongly object to subsidizing the upper middle class so they can maintain equity in their homes when others are living in apartments to pay the tuition!

From now on, I intend to specifically designate how my $$ may or MAY NOT be used.

Hear, hear! Totally agree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting. I wonder if this happens at our DC's school. We give generously to annual giving to support FA and operating expenses, but if an additional 10% of the tuition that we pay is going to FA (versus to say, teacher salaries) we need to rethink that.

Definitely follow-up with the Head, and consider asking for a written response. I have no problem with annual giving that improves the facilities and/or helps keep teacher salaries competitive. I really have no objection to financial aid for exceptionally bright and talented children from underprivileged backgrounds. I strongly object to subsidizing the upper middle class so they can maintain equity in their homes when others are living in apartments to pay the tuition!

From now on, I intend to specifically designate how my $$ may or MAY NOT be used.

I will definitely do that PP.

[Anonymous]

WOW!

So -- are have you guys decided how you are defining "needy households"? Do you have an income cut-off point?

Are you going to be making decisions about whether people "chose" to have 5 kids versus a more affordable 2, or will that not factor in -- will it be HHI based only?

If your cut off point is "people making under $60,000 deserve my money, but people making $61,000 do not" -- will you be making exceptions for someone who is also supporting an aging relative? Or not?

If someone is making $10,000 more than your income cut-off, but one spouse is permanently disabled and receiveing disability payments, will that push them into the category of "needy" to you, or will you have a firm cut-off salary point?

Just wondering....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:WOW!

So -- are have you guys decided how you are defining "needy households"? Do you have an income cut-off point?

Are you going to be making decisions about whether people "chose" to have 5 kids versus a more affordable 2, or will that not factor in -- will it be HHI based only?

If your cut off point is "people making under $60,000 deserve my money, but people making $61,000 do not" -- will you be making exceptions for someone who is also supporting an aging relative? Or not?

If someone is making $10,000 more than your income cut-off, but one spouse is permanently disabled and receiveing disability payments, will that push them into the category of "needy" to you, or will you have a firm cut-off salary point?

Just wondering....

My concern is not about giving aid to someone with a high HHI if the school determines that they qualify for aid. My concern is related to the school double-dipping....asking for annual giving AND support of the auction AND setting tuition such that it includes an amount automatically set aside for financial aid. I will not support annual giving or the auction if a portion of my tuition dollars is already going to financial aid.

[Anonymous]

I wonder what would happen if, based on these posts, everyone in a school applied for financial aid.

That's really the heart of it, isn't it?

You have two groups of posters who are upset about the $200K family proposition.

1. The group of people who are really struggling to pay but think it would be wrong to ask for aid (even though they may have less good circumstances than people who are getting it).

2. The people who can afford school without too much of a struggle but who think aid should go to people who would otherwise not have a chance - bad school district where family can't afford to move, no money for extra enrichment activities, etc.

I myself am in the second group. While I have no hard HHI cut off because I recognize anyone at any level can have circumstances that would point towards an aid grant, I do believe there is an HHI where, absent those circumstances, it becomes a little ridiculous.

If everyone applied for aid, that would force the schools to choose where they want to allocate it and also hopefully correct some of the imbalances the people in group #1 feel.

I will say that the posters who insist they have some kind of basic fundamental right to attend Sidwell without paying for it (regardless of whether they make $200K or more) ought to take a look at the Constitution. That right isn't there. It's those kinds of posts that make people like me wonder who we are really funding when we bid things up at the auction. That can't be good for the school or for the people who are in favor of aid to such families.

[Anonymous]

Is there truly a financial aid-receiving family out there making more than 200k who gets an elite private school education "without paying for it," as some have written, suggested, or assumed? Of course not. As other posters in this and other related threads have made clear, there is a sliding scale of financial aid. The schools have made a decision that they want to have a population of more than simply the very poor and the very rich. They have made a decision that it is in the best interests of the entire school - not just the recipient, but the school, its community, and most importantly the children, to include the rich, the poor, and the in-between.

Our combined income is over 200k, we have two kids in private school with tuition exceeding 52K. We are as humble in our taste in clothing, home, cars, vacations as you can possibly imagine and tighten our belt in every conceivable way. But it is still a huge stretch for us. We are living paycheck to paycheck. Flame all you want, but this is the reality of living in Washington, D.C. But for the few thousand dollars our school has so generously granted us, we simply could not send our kids to this wonderful school. Incidentally, we spend nearly all of the grant on after school care so that I can work full time (and more). I would like to think that our middle-class lifestyle and values somehow add to the school and the educational experience for all. I can say that as a family, we work very, very hard to volunteer and to do everything we can to support the school and be a part of the community, even though our annual fund contributions (yes, we do make contributions) are more symbolic than anything else. I can also say that both DCs seem incredibly popular with their classmates, teachers, and believe it or not, most of the (non-financial aid receiving) parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is there truly a financial aid-receiving family out there making more than 200k who gets an elite private school education "without paying for it," as some have written, suggested, or assumed? Of course not. As other posters in this and other related threads have made clear, there is a sliding scale of financial aid. The schools have made a decision that they want to have a population of more than simply the very poor and the very rich. They have made a decision that it is in the best interests of the entire school - not just the recipient, but the school, its community, and most importantly the children, to include the rich, the poor, and the in-between.

Our combined income is over 200k, we have two kids in private school with tuition exceeding 52K. We are as humble in our taste in clothing, home, cars, vacations as you can possibly imagine and tighten our belt in every conceivable way. But it is still a huge stretch for us. We are living paycheck to paycheck. Flame all you want, but this is the reality of living in Washington, D.C. But for the few thousand dollars our school has so generously granted us, we simply could not send our kids to this wonderful school. Incidentally, we spend nearly all of the grant on after school care so that I can work full time (and more). I would like to think that our middle-class lifestyle and values somehow add to the school and the educational experience for all. I can say that as a family, we work very, very hard to volunteer and to do everything we can to support the school and be a part of the community, even though our annual fund contributions (yes, we do make contributions) are more symbolic than anything else. I can also say that both DCs seem incredibly popular with their classmates, teachers, and believe it or not, most of the (non-financial aid receiving) parents.

I am not sure the schools have made any such decision. They have x dollars of aid. Some families, perhaps less well off than a $200K+ family, choose not to apply. So, they award aid based on who has applied. The idea that this is all done for the greater good is a little much, because I am not at all sure that is the case. You could only know that they made this value judgment for sure if they in fact rejected so-called "poor people" and instead chose to award aid in favor of the $200K families instead. What evidence is there of that?

[Anonymous]

How can a 200k, middle-class, in between, or whatever you want to call them, family possibly add value to a Big Three school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How can a 200k, middle-class, in between, or whatever you want to call them, family possibly add value to a Big Three school?

Is this a joke?

[Anonymous]

Vehicular diversity. When little Buffy turns 16, she'll only get a Volvo, not a Mercedes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How can a 200k, middle-class, in between, or whatever you want to call them, family possibly add value to a Big Three school?

Is this a joke?

Apart from the anti-financial aid serial poster above, I'm not sure anyone is laughing . . .

[Anonymous]

Here's a thought to consider: perhaps this thread is getting more responses than one would expect because of a general concern (expressed in a different thread) regarding the financial condition of the schools with smaller endowments. I love my DC's school and I contribute to the scholarship fundraising to support the goal of making such a school at least a possibility for lower income kids. However, I worry about money going to help more upper middle income families as has been discussed here not because I don't value such families, but because I worry about the financial effect such support is having on the school. Anything less than full enrollment is going to have an effect on the financial health of the school. I guess this sounds selfish, but if the school goes under or has to cut back on some of its programs or cannot retain the very best teachers then all the families at that school will pay the price. Less money to families making over $200k would free up money for teacher pay raises and so forth.

[Anonymous]

We are a family with around the 200k HHI with two kids at a big 3, no financial aid, none considered in terms of even applying.

It is a huge stretch financially for us, but our children's education is a main priority for our family.

I know for a fact that the tuition at our school IS NOT bumped for financial aid, so all of the aid comes from giving by families who are generous enough to help support both the endowment and the annual financial aid fundraisers. We too give a little to these funds.

I also know for a fact that these schools are aware of the issues associated with having institutions of only very wealthy and very working class families, so to the extent they can keep tuition in check, they do, but it is a constant struggle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here's a thought to consider: perhaps this thread is getting more responses than one would expect because of a general concern (expressed in a different thread) regarding the financial condition of the schools with smaller endowments. I love my DC's school and I contribute to the scholarship fundraising to support the goal of making such a school at least a possibility for lower income kids. However, I worry about money going to help more upper middle income families as has been discussed here not because I don't value such families, but because I worry about the financial effect such support is having on the school. Anything less than full enrollment is going to have an effect on the financial health of the school. I guess this sounds selfish, but if the school goes under or has to cut back on some of its programs or cannot retain the very best teachers then all the families at that school will pay the price. Less money to families making over $200k would free up money for teacher pay raises and so forth.

As a former insider I can tell you that the reality is that only a few select schools (perhaps the Big Eight) can afford to give tuition breaks of even a few thousand dollars to those making above 200k. And really, that's what we're talking about - a few thousand dollars which almost always simply covers after-school care as both parents work full-time. Yes, I should add that in all of my years directly involved in the process, all who fit in this category (combined income over 200k) have two full time working parents. The schools outside of that group do not, because they cannot, and they focus their financial aid on giving much larger grants, 80% to 90% to those from the "other side of the tracks." But then again, few schools outside of that group charge in excess of 26k per year of tuition. The schools that charge such a staggering amount make grants, on a sliding, need-based scale, precisely because they want a school that is made up of more than the very rich, and the very poor. They see it as desirable for all involved to have a school community that reflects all walks of life.

[Anonymous]

This last post was right on point. I respect the poster for not applying for Aid. Like I wrote in an earlier post we make ALOT less than $200K (husband is blue collar and I'm a professional) and we have NEVER even considered applying for finanical aid. I think it should be for those that are really at a disadvantage (parents never had opportunity to go to college, etc). I honestly see parents that I KNOW are on financial aid driving fancy cars, dressing in the latest and taking vacations that we only dream of. We don't even own a home as all of our savings go directly for tuition. I think people have alot of nerve. Go pull out the equity in your home!