Is your school “too generous”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve started to notice that at my kids’ school, the number of students receiving financial aid and the total amount awarded have increased significantly, by about 50 percent over that last 5 years. At the same time, building maintenance seems to be falling behind, the quality of faculty appears to be declining, the quality of the food in the cafeteria is low, and the after-school offerings are not very strong. This is a school with a tuition of $60,000.

Has generous financial aid caused similar issues at your children’s school?

Consider that the causal arrow may point in the opposite direction. If your school is declining and underperforming, then it needs more generous FA to attract families. Schools can get in a bad spiral of compromising admissions standards to get tuition dollars, and compromising financially to maintain academics. It's hard to stop once it starts.

Not really. The admissions rates is about 3 to 5 percent currently. They can totally cut funding and still remain in high demand but providing a much better service.

Sounds like you do not have confidence in the leadership of your school. Or they think the FA is worth it and you don't.

I am not sure it’s just confidence. Literally the money for tuition is not spent on necessary things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What a bizarre thread. Schools provide financial aid because it's consistent with their missions to establish a student body that is as diverse as possible (socially, economically, culturally, racially). People from different backgrounds contributing to discourse is a key part of successful education.

That said, if you don't like is no obligation to support that diversity with contributions. If you don't like the concept at all, there is no obligation to send your kid to any kind of school that supports it.

We are full-pay and also make a sizable contribution. I like the school and support them in allocating the money as they see fit. The school is very diverse but also has significant wealth. I'm not losing sleep concerned that my donation is going to the wrong place. Is it possible that wealthy families are taking advantage of financial aid? Sure, same as any government aid, private charity or anything else.

Do the right thing, whatever that means for you, and move on with your life.

Oh my, no.

No school charging 60k is sincerely interested in diversity and neither are most of the families whose kids attend.

I obviously can’t comment on your school. Ours recently sent a photo of the graduating class, of which 50% or so were kids with skin colors other than white. To me, that’s pretty good diversity. Our tuition is a shade less ($55K) but I’ve been perfectly happy with the administration, my kid’s education and the kids with which he has surrounded himself. Said differently, it’s been a good investment.

If the schools are charging $60K to 50-65% of the families so that 35% of kids pay less, so be it. Don’t like it? Seek education elsewhere.

To me having a school where 50 percent of the people are not white doesn’t mean anything. If the school is not good enough to prepare the kids for their life. Also dc is so diverse that I don’t think that by itself the diversity metrics is such an achievement.

[Anonymous]

If school says their Admissions decision is separate than the financial aid decision process, how doesthst actually work? Why would the school offer you Admissions if you can't afford it. Wouldn't the financial aid decision be needed to decide if they can offer you admission?

[Anonymous]

Basis in McLean isn’t too generous. Their is a solution if anyone has this problem

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What a bizarre thread. Schools provide financial aid because it's consistent with their missions to establish a student body that is as diverse as possible (socially, economically, culturally, racially). People from different backgrounds contributing to discourse is a key part of successful education.

That said, if you don't like is no obligation to support that diversity with contributions. If you don't like the concept at all, there is no obligation to send your kid to any kind of school that supports it.

We are full-pay and also make a sizable contribution. I like the school and support them in allocating the money as they see fit. The school is very diverse but also has significant wealth. I'm not losing sleep concerned that my donation is going to the wrong place. Is it possible that wealthy families are taking advantage of financial aid? Sure, same as any government aid, private charity or anything else.

Do the right thing, whatever that means for you, and move on with your life.

Oh my, no.

No school charging 60k is sincerely interested in diversity and neither are most of the families whose kids attend.

I obviously can’t comment on your school. Ours recently sent a photo of the graduating class, of which 50% or so were kids with skin colors other than white. To me, that’s pretty good diversity. Our tuition is a shade less ($55K) but I’ve been perfectly happy with the administration, my kid’s education and the kids with which he has surrounded himself. Said differently, it’s been a good investment.

If the schools are charging $60K to 50-65% of the families so that 35% of kids pay less, so be it. Don’t like it? Seek education elsewhere.

This is it exactly. Families want visible diversity that can be shown on the website, in the viewbook, on their mantle at home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What a bizarre thread. Schools provide financial aid because it's consistent with their missions to establish a student body that is as diverse as possible (socially, economically, culturally, racially). People from different backgrounds contributing to discourse is a key part of successful education.

That said, if you don't like is no obligation to support that diversity with contributions. If you don't like the concept at all, there is no obligation to send your kid to any kind of school that supports it.

We are full-pay and also make a sizable contribution. I like the school and support them in allocating the money as they see fit. The school is very diverse but also has significant wealth. I'm not losing sleep concerned that my donation is going to the wrong place. Is it possible that wealthy families are taking advantage of financial aid? Sure, same as any government aid, private charity or anything else.

Do the right thing, whatever that means for you, and move on with your life.

Oh my, no.

No school charging 60k is sincerely interested in diversity and neither are most of the families whose kids attend.

I obviously can’t comment on your school. Ours recently sent a photo of the graduating class, of which 50% or so were kids with skin colors other than white. To me, that’s pretty good diversity. Our tuition is a shade less ($55K) but I’ve been perfectly happy with the administration, my kid’s education and the kids with which he has surrounded himself. Said differently, it’s been a good investment.

If the schools are charging $60K to 50-65% of the families so that 35% of kids pay less, so be it. Don’t like it? Seek education elsewhere.

This is it exactly. Families want visible diversity that can be shown on the website, in the viewbook, on their mantle at home.

You’re very cynical. You think you understand everyone that sends their kids to a school with diversity that doesn’t stand up to your scrutiny, and you think you understand why schools strive for diversity. And apparently you oppose financial aid dollars being used in such a manner. And it doesn’t matter what anyone says. You think everyone here is wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What a bizarre thread. Schools provide financial aid because it's consistent with their missions to establish a student body that is as diverse as possible (socially, economically, culturally, racially). People from different backgrounds contributing to discourse is a key part of successful education.

That said, if you don't like is no obligation to support that diversity with contributions. If you don't like the concept at all, there is no obligation to send your kid to any kind of school that supports it.

We are full-pay and also make a sizable contribution. I like the school and support them in allocating the money as they see fit. The school is very diverse but also has significant wealth. I'm not losing sleep concerned that my donation is going to the wrong place. Is it possible that wealthy families are taking advantage of financial aid? Sure, same as any government aid, private charity or anything else.

Do the right thing, whatever that means for you, and move on with your life.

Oh my, no.

No school charging 60k is sincerely interested in diversity and neither are most of the families whose kids attend.

I obviously can’t comment on your school. Ours recently sent a photo of the graduating class, of which 50% or so were kids with skin colors other than white. To me, that’s pretty good diversity. Our tuition is a shade less ($55K) but I’ve been perfectly happy with the administration, my kid’s education and the kids with which he has surrounded himself. Said differently, it’s been a good investment.

If the schools are charging $60K to 50-65% of the families so that 35% of kids pay less, so be it. Don’t like it? Seek education elsewhere.

This is it exactly. Families want visible diversity that can be shown on the website, in the viewbook, on their mantle at home.

This is not real diversity to me. The school just trying to profit out of diversity trying to offer it as another amenity of the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If school says their Admissions decision is separate than the financial aid decision process, how doesthst actually work? Why would the school offer you Admissions if you can't afford it. Wouldn't the financial aid decision be needed to decide if they can offer you admission?

Ideally, it's because they have a big enough endowment to give admitted students whatever they need.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread is about misplaced financial jealousy. Some pay a fortune for school, and others don't, even though they may not appear poor.

The issue is not with families. It's with schools who think they can charge 60K a year per kid, and then offer generous aid to others. Such a gap in who owes what is bound to create resentment! There is no universe in which it will not. It's bad enough that colleges and universities all operate with that model, but grade schools need to do it too.

Schools should figure out a different financial model where families pay mostly all the same price. Say, 20K. For everyone. It's a lot more affordable, the middle class can swing it just like the rich. There would be a lot fewer financial aid packages necessary. And yes, schools would pay their administrators smaller salaries, which is a good thing. Administrative bloat is a bad thing. The rich families can still get together and have capital improvement campaigns.

*Raises hand*

There’s this thing called public school? It seems to fit the bill.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve started to notice that at my kids’ school, the number of students receiving financial aid and the total amount awarded have increased significantly, by about 50 percent over that last 5 years. At the same time, building maintenance seems to be falling behind, the quality of faculty appears to be declining, the quality of the food in the cafeteria is low, and the after-school offerings are not very strong. This is a school with a tuition of $60,000.

Has generous financial aid caused similar issues at your children’s school?

Consider that the causal arrow may point in the opposite direction. If your school is declining and underperforming, then it needs more generous FA to attract families. Schools can get in a bad spiral of compromising admissions standards to get tuition dollars, and compromising financially to maintain academics. It's hard to stop once it starts.

Not really. The admissions rates is about 3 to 5 percent currently. They can totally cut funding and still remain in high demand but providing a much better service.

Sounds like you do not have confidence in the leadership of your school. Or they think the FA is worth it and you don't.

I am not sure it’s just confidence. Literally the money for tuition is not spent on necessary things.

You keep (deliberately?) missing the point of these responses. The school does not think improvements to buildings or meals or after school programs are necessary. They choose to prioritize other things, which for the sake of argument let's say is financial aid.

They may have business reasons or mission reasons, but they aren't doing it by accident. They aren't somehow unable to improve the building because they are trapped onto financial aid. You simply disagree on what their priorities should be. And if as many families are getting aid as you believe, you are in the minority in your beliefs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is racial diversity without socioeconomic diversity so abhorrent to you? It has value to some people.

NP, I think racial diversity is good, it’s just that can be achieved with families paying full tuition. No need to use that money for financial aid for diverse upper middle class families.

So you just want your kids to be with rich people. That’s basically what the rest of us have always thought. It’s good to hear you say it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What a bizarre thread. Schools provide financial aid because it's consistent with their missions to establish a student body that is as diverse as possible (socially, economically, culturally, racially). People from different backgrounds contributing to discourse is a key part of successful education.

That said, if you don't like is no obligation to support that diversity with contributions. If you don't like the concept at all, there is no obligation to send your kid to any kind of school that supports it.

We are full-pay and also make a sizable contribution. I like the school and support them in allocating the money as they see fit. The school is very diverse but also has significant wealth. I'm not losing sleep concerned that my donation is going to the wrong place. Is it possible that wealthy families are taking advantage of financial aid? Sure, same as any government aid, private charity or anything else.

Do the right thing, whatever that means for you, and move on with your life.

Oh my, no.

No school charging 60k is sincerely interested in diversity and neither are most of the families whose kids attend.

I obviously can’t comment on your school. Ours recently sent a photo of the graduating class, of which 50% or so were kids with skin colors other than white. To me, that’s pretty good diversity. Our tuition is a shade less ($55K) but I’ve been perfectly happy with the administration, my kid’s education and the kids with which he has surrounded himself. Said differently, it’s been a good investment.

If the schools are charging $60K to 50-65% of the families so that 35% of kids pay less, so be it. Don’t like it? Seek education elsewhere.

This is it exactly. Families want visible diversity that can be shown on the website, in the viewbook, on their mantle at home.

You’re very cynical. You think you understand everyone that sends their kids to a school with diversity that doesn’t stand up to your scrutiny, and you think you understand why schools strive for diversity. And apparently you oppose financial aid dollars being used in such a manner. And it doesn’t matter what anyone says. You think everyone here is wrong.

The PP judged the diversity at their school by looking at a photo. That is what they actually said, not my interpretation. That’s visible diversity only.

I am all in favor of FA support, particularly if it supports diversity that goes beyond simple optics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is not real diversity to me. The school just trying to profit out of diversity trying to offer it as another amenity of the school.

My kids care about whether there are other classmates who look like them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What a bizarre thread. Schools provide financial aid because it's consistent with their missions to establish a student body that is as diverse as possible (socially, economically, culturally, racially). People from different backgrounds contributing to discourse is a key part of successful education.

That said, if you don't like is no obligation to support that diversity with contributions. If you don't like the concept at all, there is no obligation to send your kid to any kind of school that supports it.

We are full-pay and also make a sizable contribution. I like the school and support them in allocating the money as they see fit. The school is very diverse but also has significant wealth. I'm not losing sleep concerned that my donation is going to the wrong place. Is it possible that wealthy families are taking advantage of financial aid? Sure, same as any government aid, private charity or anything else.

Do the right thing, whatever that means for you, and move on with your life.

Oh my, no.

No school charging 60k is sincerely interested in diversity and neither are most of the families whose kids attend.

I obviously can’t comment on your school. Ours recently sent a photo of the graduating class, of which 50% or so were kids with skin colors other than white. To me, that’s pretty good diversity. Our tuition is a shade less ($55K) but I’ve been perfectly happy with the administration, my kid’s education and the kids with which he has surrounded himself. Said differently, it’s been a good investment.

If the schools are charging $60K to 50-65% of the families so that 35% of kids pay less, so be it. Don’t like it? Seek education elsewhere.

To me having a school where 50 percent of the people are not white doesn’t mean anything. If the school is not good enough to prepare the kids for their life. Also dc is so diverse that I don’t think that by itself the diversity metrics is such an achievement.

Outside of school, how many daily encounters does your child have with people of another race? Your household staff excluded.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is racial diversity without socioeconomic diversity so abhorrent to you? It has value to some people.

NP, I think racial diversity is good, it’s just that can be achieved with families paying full tuition. No need to use that money for financial aid for diverse upper middle class families.

So you just want your kids to be with rich people. That’s basically what the rest of us have always thought. It’s good to hear you say it.

I think it is a legitimate question to evaluate what are the benefits of a financial aid program. These schools have limited budgets so the money could go elsewhere. Financial aid is not about diversity. Real diversity comes free.

Are financial aid programs helping to attract and retain top students, and how is that defined? Hopefully the schools have quantitative data on this that they could share. Without supporting data, these programs seem bogus.