St. Columba’s Nursery School
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
|
Does anyone know if the bold part below is actually true?
The agreement says the school is entitled to full payment in the case of (1) absence, (2) withdrawal, or (3) dismissal. School closure does not sound like any of these. Please help. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * April 1, 2020 Dear Families, I am writing to you to address recent questions that have arisen concerning reimbursement of tuition and fees. As we come to terms with this new normal, however long it lasts, I know it has been, and will continue to be emotionally and economically stressful for many of you. All of us at St. Columba’s Nursery School are experiencing a terrible sense of unease and pray that its duration will be as short as possible. The Board of Governors and I are committed to doing what is fair and right for our community in these difficult circumstances, but with the overarching understanding that we are duty-bound to ensure the School’s sustainability. In that regard, this letter outlines a plan developed in conjunction with our Board of Governors to address some of the financial pressures many of you face while at the same time safeguarding our School’s future. Under our enrollment contract, tuition payments for the 2019-20 school year are not refundable. We believe this to be true for most independent schools in the area and around the country. Putting aside the terms of our contract, the Board of Governors evaluated the possibility of tuition reimbursements, and determined that even a partial return of tuition would result in irremediable hardship on the School. The vast majority of our operating funds each year - 82% - is used to pay teachers’ and staff salaries and benefits. Most of the remainder goes to facility expenses that do not stop, even when school is not in session. The Board of Governors has determined that protecting our faculty is a top priority at this difficult time. Our talented, loving, and dedicated teachers - and their decades of collective experience and shared values - rest at the core of our educational mission for our children. Without them, St. Columba’s Nursery School, as we know it, cannot continue to exist. Given our tight operating budget, returning tuition would necessarily result in our inability to pay our teachers over the next few months. Even a pro-rata refund for the period St. Columba’s has been forced to close would result in a financial deficit that would be nearly impossible to overcome. That said, and consistent with the decision to maintain the ongoing existence of St. Columba’s Nursery School, the Board is exploring various options to address - and to the extent feasible, ameliorate - some of the difficulties faced by our families. For instance, the Board is working with the Church to investigate to what extent the school is eligible for federal financial assistance. In addition, and depending on the duration of this crisis, the Board is considering whether to extend the school year into our planned summer camp sessions, allowing our families to participate in the summer program at no cost for as many weeks as the regular school year was cut short. Please let me know if this option would be of interest and helpful to your family. For those who have paid monies to participate in our auxiliary programs, including Rest & Play, Early Arrival, and the 3:30 Club, the Board has authorized the following three options: 1. Donation. For any families who can afford to do so, we would ask that you contribute the amount of unused fees for auxiliary services to the School as a charitable donation. We would send you a letter recognizing the donation for your tax records. 2. School Credit. The School can credit your account in the amount of unused fees for auxiliary services for the future payment of any financial obligation your family has to the School over the next twelve months. This includes tuition next year if you are returning. 3. Refund. If neither of the first two options works for you, we can refund fees paid for unused auxiliary services. Please send me an email to let the School know which option you choose for your unused fees for auxiliary services, and I will do my best to process each request as swiftly as can be accomplished while limited contact with other business office staff remains the rule. We appreciate your patience and grace as we endeavor to balance families’ needs while sustaining our beloved school. Please feel free to direct any questions you may have about this plan to me. While we remain separated, we will continue to offer opportunities to be in touch with you and your children -- my daily stories and activities, our parent-teacher conferences this week, and daily interactions with your child’s teachers. We can’t wait to bring our entire community, students, faculty, staff and parents back together again when it is safe to do so. Sincerely, Julia |
Anonymous
|
Sounds like you should read the contract you signed, OP.
|
Anonymous
| This present situation is hard to define and doesn't seem to be listed in your 3 points. Hopefully they are offering online lessons or another form of teaching while school is closed |
Anonymous
| I think this falls under absence, because the government is preventing your child from going to school, not the school preventing your child from attending. Even if the school wanted to be open it cannot. |
Anonymous
| I wish they were offering more than a daily video of a story and a once a week Zoom meeting since classes are cancelled. They should be trying to offer more since they are keeping the tuition payments. |
Anonymous
| Suppose school is out on Christmas break. It would boggle the mind to call the child's lack of presence at school an absence. Certainly no absence would be noted on the child's attendance record. After all the school is closed. Absence obviously refers to when a child is no longer being sent to school. It does not encompass situations where the school is closed. |
Anonymous
| I would look at how the word "absence" is used in other parts of the contract and parent handbook. Is the word used in other contexts where it connotes the school being open? |
Anonymous
|
This is what is says about 'absence' in the contract:
In the case of the absence, withdrawal, or dismissal of the Student after Monday, June 1, 2019, the Parent(s)/Guardian(s) agree that the School is entitled unconditionally to full payment of the year's tuition and charges (including legal fees, court costs, and other related expenses incurred by the School for collection), and no adjustment thereof will be made. Unlike tuition, fees for the Auxiliary Programs are not binding. This is the link to the Parent's Handbook (does not seem to mention absence): https://stcolumbasnurseryschool.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/1920ParentHandbook.pdf |
Anonymous
| Also, the school closed a couple days before DCPS closed. |
Anonymous
Which was smart! |
Anonymous
|
The handbook says:
"If your child will be absent from school for illness or for any other reason, please call or email * to let the Office know." I assume nobody's been calling the school to report their child absent. So putting together the sentence from the parent handbook with the sentence at issue in the contract, you get that absence means your child is not showing up at school when it's open. |
Anonymous
| We are interested in St. Columba. I could not open the application online. Does anyone know if they are opening and if it will be at the school, on a regular schedule? I also wondering if they made adjustments to their refund policy which I saw from this earlier thread. |
Anonymous
Call the school and ask. |
Anonymous
|