WWYD crisis paying tuition

Log in / Sign Up

List of Forums + New Post Recipe Box Usergroups Following My Posts Bookmarks

Private Messages Advanced Search Rules New User Guide FAQ Advertise Contact Us

Forum -> Household Management -> Finances

1 2 3 Next

View latest: 24h 48h 72h

amother

Lavender

Sun, Aug 21 2016, 9:25 pm

We owe $3500 to our daughter's school from last years tuition, plus registration fees and first month for this year, etc. means if we can't give the school about $5000 they won't register our girls. We are barely living "hand to mouth". How am I supposed to get my girls back to school? My husband is working (bH!) at two jobs, 16 hours a day---the expenses/income just don't add up (our tuition bill alone is $2400/month for the kids)! What are we supposed to do?

mommy3b2c

Sun, Aug 21 2016, 9:52 pm

Can you explain your situation to them and ask for a payment plan?

It breaks my heart that there are actually schools that would not allow children back in.

amother

Lavender

Sun, Aug 21 2016, 10:01 pm

we have. the administrator doesn't seem to care, he just wants the money.

Rutabaga

Sun, Aug 21 2016, 10:20 pm

Do you work? Is there any way you could bring in some extra money yourself?

amother

Navy

Sun, Aug 21 2016, 10:26 pm

Can you speak to a different person in the school? The principal or something? Tell him your situation and ask him what he would do if he were in your shoes. I know some schools allow parents to put in hours helping the school instead of tuition (or supplementation). For example, you could work on organizing the school dinner, clean the gym, etc. It is just unacceptable that a school would force a parent to home school or sent to public school when they can't pay and are clearly doing the best they can! I hope they come to see the situation from your eyes. It is high time for schools to stop thinking about dollars and cents and instead think about the children as precious neshamos that need to be educated, no matter the circumstances!!! Yes, teachers need to be paid. Yes, we need to do our best to try to make enough money to cover tuition. But when it isn't possible, the schools need to start acting like Yiddishe menchin, not hardened bureaucrats.

amother

Chartreuse

Sun, Aug 21 2016, 10:27 pm

Maybe I'm wrong but I do not think that Hashem wants you to do that which is impossible. Your dh is working 16 hr days. You have begged the admin. Is there anything else that you can do? I don't know- sell your house if you own one, sublet a room if you are renting, beg family members? If it is truly impossible, then maybe you are meant to pull them out and put them somewhere cheaper (public school?), AND TRUST that Hashem knows what He is doing. Very very hard.

Decided to be anon coz I'm feeling fragile and couldn't deal with bashing tonight.

Sun, Aug 21 2016, 10:55 pm

Does your school take vouchers? Is it possible for you to apply for vouchers? Many schools decided to accept vouchers for this very reason. Hope I didn't touch a raw nerve.

amother

Amber

Sun, Aug 21 2016, 11:01 pm

It breaks my heart to read about your situation.
I'm beginning to wonder if schools are a business and their sole interest is to rake in the money.
So sad.
I've been naive for so long :-(

amother

Jetblack

Sun, Aug 21 2016, 11:08 pm

your LOR and have him call the school. If you can come up with anything at all, a payment plan or $50 offer that, but if you are both working and you can't pay, they need to take your girls in the end.

The administrator's job is to play hardball and get the tuition money. That's okay, but they do have to take your children back if they are already students in the school unless you are extravagant in other areas or something like that

amother

Lavender

Sun, Aug 21 2016, 11:36 pm

we're not connected to anyone to reach out to.
what are vouchers?
I would love to bring in some extra money. I'm home with the two youngest, though, and I haven't been able to find anything I can do from home.... Almost had something last week, but it fell through...

amother

Smokey

Sun, Aug 21 2016, 11:37 pm

We've been in that situation unfortunately, B"H we have a relative who was able to advocate for us. My husband and I are both not aggressive and we weren't able to convince the school to do anything for us. This relative went in the day before school started and told them they have no choice, they have to take my girls back, and he told them how much we are able to pay monthly and said he will make sure they get that amount each month, as long as they leave us alone for now about what we owe. B"H they listened and this is going on for a couple of years already.

The sad thing is that we used to pay full tuition, even though we never had a lot of money, but we scrimped and were so careful never to buy anything extra, to be able to pay full tuition. Things went downhill for us, and now we can't even pay the reduced amount, but when we tried reminding them about the years when we paid full tuition, the administrator said that has nothing to do with now. Exploding anger

amother

Smokey

Sun, Aug 21 2016, 11:41 pm

amother wrote:

Do you want to tell us where you live, maybe somebody here knows of a somebody in your city for you to approach. I'm so sorry, I hope things work out for you quickly.

amother

Lavender

Sun, Aug 21 2016, 11:42 pm

amother wrote:

This is exactly us, except we don't have the relative to advocate for us !!

amother

Smokey

Sun, Aug 21 2016, 11:57 pm

amother wrote:

This is exactly us, except we don't have the relative to advocate for us !!

I'm so sorry, I remember just feeling helpless. School was starting and we didn't know what to do. I called my relative crying, and asked him to please see what he could do, and B"H he was able to help us. I wish I could find you an advocate, what about your rav? Even if you don't have a rav you feel close to, I'm sure any decent rav would try to help.

Sun, Aug 21 2016, 11:58 pm

Vouchers are government funds for education. Every city /state has laws on who qualifies. Schools usually help parents with the process. Like food stamps or medicaid.

amother

Smokey

Sun, Aug 21 2016, 11:59 pm

tf wrote:

Vouchers are government funds for education. Every city /state has laws on who qualifies. Schools usually help parents with the process. Like food stamps or medicaid.

Many, if not most, states don't offer vouchers for education. I imagine if op would live in a state with vouchers, she would know about it.

amother

Slateblue

Mon, Aug 22 2016, 12:01 am

Hugs, OP, we're in teh same boat.

Owe over $10k from last year, and they won't take our kids this year.

Don't know what we will do. We have tried homeschooling in the past but we're not the best at it and our kids crave the structure of school......

DrMom

Mon, Aug 22 2016, 1:44 am

amother wrote:

Just to flesh out arguments for the opposite perspective:

As you mentioned, teachers need to be paid. Also:
- Rent/mortgage on the building needs to be paid.
- Utility bills need to be paid.
- The custodial staff needs to be paid.
- Etc.

Administrators should not be blamed for running their business responsibly. And their employees rely on the school for their parnassa.

If there are creative solutions (I.e., if you can provide a service for which this school is willing to pay needs and is worth the cash you owe for tuition), the that's great. But, as frustrating as it is, you can't chastise the school for running its business in a responsible manner.

amother

Slateblue

Mon, Aug 22 2016, 1:55 am

Agree on one hand DrMom, but on the other....

The school is already running and paying these. Adding another child to the class does not raise the cost of heating the building, hiring teachers, or custodians.

Yes I should pay the max possible. But even from a business sense, don't airlines sell empty seats for dirt cheap sometimes because it's more money than they would get from flying with empty rows? Don't dept stores sell excess merchandise for cheap because otherwise they are discarding it?

They have a desk for my child. They have books for my child. But because I can't afford to pay the asking price, they'd rather have them sit empty... maybe so I'll stop paying my rent and be homeless but paying tuition??

I imagine they are afraid of setting a bad precedent or of letting us get away with something. But does that fear justify my kids not getting a proper education?

Isn't there another way of ensuring taht all parents are paying as much as they can towards the costs?

This is aside for the responsibility a community has for all children in said community, especially the ppoor. Judaism does not look down upon the poor or blame them for their poverty, unlike American sensibilities. We recognize that Hashem created haves and have nots, and that some of what the haves have is meant for them to support their brothers and sisters.

What will be in the end... who knows.

OP, there is an excellent Jewish homeschooling email network if that is the route you need to go down.

MitzadSheini

Mon, Aug 22 2016, 2:10 am

amother wrote:

... there is an excellent Jewish homeschooling email network if that is the route you need to go down.

Can you please provide a link?

Page 1 of 3

1 2 3 Next