Got off the WL but Facing a Dilemma
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Anonymous
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Just found out that our kindergartener, who was set to start at a NW private, got off the wait list for a decent WOTP school that feeds into Hardy and ultimately Wilson. We did get tuition insurance that would cover financial hardship (and I called the insurer to confirm that it would cover withdrawal in situations like this), but it only kicks in after 15 consecutive days of attendance, which seems to mean that we're out of luck in terms of the policy covering the tuition for the rest of the year.
Should we accept the offer and attend the DCPS, and just eat the tuition for the private school? It kills me to pay $35K to not attend a school, but I guess we'll still be paying only 1 year's tuition, rather than multiples of that amount. Or should we decline and attend the private, as planned? The problem is that we really can't afford it for the long term. If it makes a difference, the kid has a little sibling, the commute will be more or less the same, and we don't qualify for financial aid. Thanks in advance for any input, and sorry for the cross-post (here and the private school forum). |
Anonymous
| If you really can't afford, I would take the hit for one year and just go to the wotp school. You will be glad in one year when there is no tuition. |
Anonymous
| when my child started K at a jklm that feeds Deal, Deal was not an option in my mind. I simply accepted that we would have to move to MD before middle school. In the intervening years Deal has changed a lot and I will be sending that child next year. I have confidence that Hardy will disprove the naysayers over time and even if not that is 6 years away and you will have time to plan. I think if you are very pleased with the K school then that is likely the best option given what you have said re your financial position. Good luck. |
Anonymous
| when my child started K at a jklm that feeds Deal, Deal was not an option in my mind. I simply accepted that we would have to move to MD before middle school. In the intervening years Deal has changed a lot and I will be sending that child next year. I have confidence that Hardy will disprove the naysayers over time and even if not that is 6 years away and you will have time to plan. I think if you are very pleased with the K school then that is likely the best option given what you have said re your financial position. Good luck. |
Anonymous
| Take the public spot, shake your head sadly at the loss of $35K, and don't look back. |
Anonymous
| I lost a deposit to a private school we didn't enroll in. We consulted our accountant and took it as a charitable deduction because we received nothing in exchange. Perhaps that would work for you. |
Anonymous
| Will the school hold the spot? I am a private school teacher and I have had a kid attend class for two weeks so that tuition insurance would kick in. Not ideal for anyone but better than losing the money. |
Anonymous
Risk is whether the DCPS school can or will allow her child to be absent for the 2-3 weeks required to satisfy the tuition insurance policies. If there is a wait list, they may not be able to allow the child to delay starting school for that long, especially since it's K, not PreK. |
Anonymous
| PP who lost a private school deposit...we are in a similar situation. We disenrolled at a private after being placed in a HRCS off of the waitlist. Did you get something in writing from the private indicating your charitable contribution? |
Anonymous
| I would explain to the DCPS what the situation is and at least ask if they can hold the spot. How many days would you need? |
Anonymous
Yes. We begged and got them to send a us a letter saying 'thank you for your contribution of $2,000' which included their Tax ID number. Not sure every school would do this but it's worth trying. |
Anonymous
yep, except ours was almost 3,000. ouch! |
Anonymous
| Even if OP truly means 35k and not 3k, it's better in the long run. |
Anonymous
| Show up at the private for a couple days, then the public, go back and forth and at the end of the 15 day period, withdraw from private. |
Anonymous
| Sunk cost. If you want the wilson feeder, do it now. |