On the verge of a nervous breakdown over tuition

lubcoralsprings

Fri, Sep 01 2006, 7:08 am

imaamy wrote:

Chani, finally someone in our boat! I was getting the impression that our tuition was way above anywhere else, and also from the shul thread that no one pays more than $150 for shul annual membership. At our school you get a 25% discount on the 3rd kid and so on. Do you get that since you'll have 4 in at the same time?

I am paying the same to send two kids to school here in Florida. It comes out to 15.5K for two kids plus another 2500 in fees so that adds up to 17k. Shul membership is around 1500 but you don't have to be a member. If you want your kids to have a good education it costs a lot. A lot of people on this thread are referring to cheder education which is only in NY and is very cheap. It can cost 2000-3000 per year however, you have to consider what you are getting for that amount. I don't want to say lashon hara but I think you can read between the lines. If a school has certified teachers and staff, nice supplies for the kids, and a decent facility it costs a lot to run. I considered this reasonable in regards to the other orthodox school here. They charge upwards of 12,000 per year for kindergarten. Oh and as far as I know there are no bulk discounts. Crying

My sis in law in Teaneck said that the fourth child goes free there. I think that's a big savings. I wish they had that here.

imaamy

Fri, Sep 01 2006, 7:31 am

Our school does not have nice facilities. An older building, not horrible but pretty shabby. PTA funds go toward computers, shade for the playground, etc. We buy supplies, paper, pencils, kleenex for the classroom to share and for our own kid (notebooks, calculator, etc) to the tune of about $50 per kid in the lower grades. We are asked to donate for this that and the other fundraiser every week. They say the cost of running the school is higher than the tuition we pay and are constantly trying to raise money in the community, grants, etc. The school is small and we require a lot of teachers (dual curriculum) so that accounts for a lot. I just get the feeling like when a poster said our tuition would take her whole family income, that it was way higher than others. We don't have to pay shul membership either, but really who with good middot would show up every week and pay nothing?

Chani

Fri, Sep 01 2006, 9:44 am

$500 off for each additional kid is the only multiple child discount. I do think it is a very good school, but truth be told, I'd be happy with fewer amenities and cheaper tuition. To be fair, many people get scholarships, but folks like my husband and me, who are both working, can forget it. We're actually exploring aliyah, in part because we think it is likely at least one of us could telecommute in our current positions and have an American salary but much much much lower living expenses. (Of course, much more important ruchnius reasons, but the prospect of paying almost $40,000 after taxes in tuition next year when my twins also are in school is pretty motivating as well!)

Piper

Mon, Oct 09 2006, 8:23 pm

imaamy wrote:

Well you wouldn't want to move here. $9600 for elementary school and more for middle school! Your tuitions sound great to me!

you must live near me. The cheapest school here starts at $12,000 per child for k-5. I don't know how much it costs for the upper grades, because after 3 yrs I said the heck with it and took my children out of the system.

DesignMommy

Wed, Oct 11 2006, 5:12 pm

[quote="
My sis in law in Teaneck said that the fourth child goes free there. I think that's a big savings. I wish they had that here.[/quote]
I have never heard that and that is where I live (in Bergenfield). I am paying $12,000 total (including registration and all fees) for my daughter to go to Pre-K. And that is without paying building fund b/c that doesn't start until Kindergarden. And the school we send to, which we are thrilled with, is the least expensive in the area.
I know there are discounts for more children, but nothing is free, unless you teach at the schools.

batya_d

Wed, Oct 11 2006, 5:57 pm

DesignMommy wrote:

[quote="
My sis in law in Teaneck said that the fourth child goes free there. I think that's a big savings. I wish they had that here.

I have never heard that and that is where I live (in Bergenfield). I am paying $12,000 total (including registration and all fees) for my daughter to go to Pre-K. And that is without paying building fund b/c that doesn't start until Kindergarden. And the school we send to, which we are thrilled with, is the least expensive in the area.
I know there are discounts for more children, but nothing is free, unless you teach at the schools.[/quote]

$12,000 for Pre-K???????? shock

How are we ever going to afford this? My husband is not a professional, and he makes money, but not that kind of money for one child, not even in grade school yet! Panicking... ok, breathe... omg panic!!!!! Twisted Evil

nicole81

Wed, Oct 11 2006, 7:54 pm

Yeah, I told dh last night that we're going to have to pay minimum 10K per child just for elementary school. He was shocked, he thought all his time that school was like $2000 per child. I have no idea how we're going to afford it, but I still have a couple of years to start saving...

How much is the average girls school in brooklyn anyway? (not chasidish)

chen

Thu, Oct 12 2006, 8:21 am

sarahd wrote:

Motek wrote:

Cutting costs - who says kids need air conditioning? That's astronomical!

no a/c? Phew! Did you ever teach a class in 98° weather, humidity 72%? .

My, my, how times have changed. Back in the Paleolithic Age when I was a schoolchild, schools were not air-conditioned. None of them--not even public schools. In fact, even when I was in college, in the more recent Neolithic Age, only administrative offices and the brand-new science building were air-conditioned. Everyone else depended on open windows.

Somehow, we all managed to learn, despite both the sweltering days and the occasional days when the boiler would be on the blink and we'd sit in class in our winter coats.

cindy324

Thu, Oct 12 2006, 8:56 am

Nicole the average girls' school in Brooklyn is about 6-7000/yr. They will usually ask for your paystub or last year's tax return if you ask for a break.10-12K is in the more modern schools like Yeshiva of Flatbush, or Manhattan Beach.

batya_d

Mon, Oct 16 2006, 6:27 am

SaraG wrote:

Chassidsiche schools are usually less.

True, but who wants to send their kids to the cheapest school? I want my kids to get a thorough education in secular subjects as well as Limudei Kodesh... and a school like Y. of Flatbush that does both kodesh and chol are mamesh only for rich people!!

batya_d

Mon, Oct 16 2006, 1:38 pm

SaraG wrote:

Because you, Batya, are looking IN (theoretically) ...and I was looking OUT (practically)!

It's one thing to want this and that and the other...and another thing to be able to afford it!

I'd go with noodles for dinner and no new clothes for myself to send my kids to a decent jewish school and not the cheapest one. I may not have kids yet, but that I can tell you.

Piper

Fri, Oct 20 2006, 9:57 am

Motek wrote:

Piper wrote:

because after 3 yrs I said the heck with it and took my children out of the system.

And now what? You homeschool them?

no. they are in public school. they are safe and clean where I live