Does your school tuition go up every year?

amother

Sapphire

Fri, Aug 02 2019, 2:47 pm

amother [ Bronze ] wrote:

The school budget. Why do they need a separate fee to cover their salaries in particular and not any other schools employees'? I believe it's really just a way to get non negotiable money out of parents. Since it's not part of the tuition, and it's required to have your kids registered for the following year, everyone pretty much pays up.

Its really common for schools to have registration fees.

Tuition - pays for all the costs in providing your child an education, when your child is at the school.

Registration - Pays for the Admin costs leading up to the school year.

End of the day - its money out of your pocket. And yes - it gives the schools some defined income. They will subsidize if they can the costs to educate your child - but not the before school year costs.

amother

Brunette

Fri, Aug 02 2019, 3:38 pm

Yes every year. Most times $50 or less.
One year 2000 per kid. It’s the first time I didn’t pay full tuition it was such a surprise. They were very nice about it.
I have a feeling so few people were paying full tuition they just raised the baseline.

I do hope they increase their employees pay 3-5% per year because that is normal.

amother

Blonde

Fri, Aug 02 2019, 3:58 pm

Yes most schools will raise tuition every year - percentage is going to depend on the school and other circumstances.

I think schools break down different costs for the same reason prices are $9.99 and not $10. When I look at actual categories of amounts schools charge, they are all mandatory and so in my head they are all "tuition" whatever the school calls them.

In terms of the administrator, he or she seems a bit tactless but I don't think what was said was unduly rude. Essentially to a complaint that prices were rising or too high or whatever, the response was that the price was what the price was just like any other item that cost money. That really is the reality.

Perhaps implicit but not stated is that it appears this school is less of an independent non-profit school and seems more like a private for profit business run by a family with the school owned by a family with a lot of family members making salaries or otherwise profiting from it. I tend to be more familiar with schools as being independent non-profit corporations which don't make money for individuals - e.g. they aren't a business like a shoe store Very Happy

amother

Coffee

Sat, Aug 03 2019, 3:00 pm

amother [ Blonde ] wrote:

This. It seems like a bad idea to send to a school that operates like a for-profit business, and the "owner" was rude, but fundamentally, he's right. Schools pay salaries and health insurance and a mortgage and electric bills, and all those things go up every year. If they can't collect the money in tuition, where do you think they will get it?

In the short term, I'm sorry, and I hope you can work something out. In the long term, I'd look for a school that operates more transparently.

normal1

Sat, Aug 03 2019, 9:51 pm

Unfortunately schools are both a buisness and a chewed organization. On one hand they have to be as firm as possible so that they stay financially stable, and on the other hand every other parent already asked for a break. I remember my dh getting all heated up with the school administration when we first enrolled my son. Bh the school has asked for moderate tuition increases of 250/ year and we don’t contest that. Trust me you don’t want to be the administrator, if you have a conscience you won’t sleep at night.

watergirl

Sat, Aug 03 2019, 10:35 pm

amother [ Chocolate ] wrote:

You seem to be surprised that a school is a business.

Yes, every school and yeshiva I have ever dealt with has raised me every year.
They don’t care if your salary has increased or not.
It’s a big expense.
You sign the contract, Daven, and hope you can fulfill your tuition obligations.

It does sound like the administrator was very rude and unprofessional though.
I’m sorry you had to deal with that.

Schools are not businesses. At least not in any city where I’ve ever lived. In my city, all of the Jewish schools are non-profits, registered 501(c)(3), etc. yes, the admins are on payroll but they are governed by a board who are not. The principal of one of the schools we send to is the founder. Not the owner. Her salary is public knowledge, is on their 990, and commiserate with the other local principal salaries. There is income and there are expenses, and at the end of the day, the expenses far outweigh the income, which is where the fundraising comes in. Again, this is all public record. This “school owner” thing is so foreign to me. Maybe this is where the issues start.
Edited to remove amother. I didn't mean to post anon.

watergirl

Sat, Aug 03 2019, 10:38 pm

And before people jump on me re: business - yes of course every school has a “business office” to manage the books. But the term is used in a different way which does not imply for profit management. If a school has an owner, that sounds nogeah bdavar to me and I would be concerned.

ectomorph

Sat, Aug 03 2019, 10:53 pm

watergirl wrote:

I agree, schools shouldn't have owners.

dankbar

Sun, Aug 04 2019, 1:50 am

I found when I paid up timely, or even in advance, a lump sum for next couple of months, without negotiating, it used to go up drastically every year. I ended up paying the most fom anyone else.
When I couldnt pay, then they were ready to negotiate to a lower price so that they should at least get paid something, even if it wasnt amount they anticipated.

Hashem_Yaazor

Wed, Aug 07 2019, 10:23 pm

Registration fees are a way to have parents think twice about saying their kids are coming to the school and then backing out last minute when the school has purchased textbooks, supplies, perhaps made staffing adjustments on the assumption a kid was there. It makes the parents stop and think and take their child's educational plans for the following year seriously.

(In my kids' school, if you pay on time and don't withdraw your kids, most of it is credited back on your tuition statement.)