Tuition and school closure

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 -> Chinuch, Education & Schooling

1 2 3 Next

View latest: 24h 48h 72h

amother

Sun, Mar 15 2020, 8:37 pm

This question is for parents whose children attend private school for which they pay tuition. If the school is currently closed are you expected to pay the full tuition that you normally pay? Are the teachers in your school being paid? Should parents be expected to now pay for babysitters so that they can work while still having to pay full tuition and only receiving one to two hours of at home classes? Have you feel about this what is your school doing?

amother

Mint

Sun, Mar 15 2020, 8:41 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

This question is for parents whose children attend private school for which they pay tuition.

If the school is currently closed are you expected to pay the full tuition that you normally pay? To date, yes.

Are the teachers in your school being paid? Yes

Should parents be expected to now pay for babysitters so that they can work while still having to pay full tuition and only receiving one to two hours of at home classes? The children need supervision. That doesn't necessarily mean a parent needs to stop working, or pay for babysitter. Whose expectation are your referring to?

Have you feel about this what is your school doing?

amother

Sienna

Sun, Mar 15 2020, 9:03 pm

As a teacher, I am working way harder for those few hours of home instruction than I do at school.
Just realize that your child's teacher isn't just sending her a few pages or a link to watch, but is busy planning and revamping a curriculum that she had down solidly so that it can be adapted to online learning. Add in that she's doing this with her own kids at home too.
If I wasn't being paid normally, I couldn't do it, because I would need to use that time for cost-saving measures instead of convenience shortcuts.

amother

Brown

Sun, Mar 15 2020, 9:41 pm

School is still charging tuition and I wouldn't expect them to stop. They're going above and beyond in a new situation beyond their control.

That being said, if I can't make the tuition payment, I will tell them to hold it. They have worked with me in the past and I am generally up to date.

lucky14

Sun, Mar 15 2020, 9:41 pm

Yes we are paying tuition. I would never expect them to give a refund. The teachers are still getting paid. My child is in preschool so no online lessons but the older kids will be getting assignments from their teachers. Even the preschool teachers said they will be uploading some videos for the children here and there. Luckily I am at home anyway so this isn't effecting us but I know it can be super stressful to have to figure out what to do with your kids. I'd never expect that they would reimburse tuition though. That just isn't how it works. This is going to be an expensive time for many of us. My husband is not having as much work these days because of what is going on and that is less income for us. I just did a huge grocery bill so we wont have to go out for a while and that's scary considering we have less $ coming in right now. Are people really even able to find babysitters now btw?

amother

Chartreuse

Sun, Mar 15 2020, 9:44 pm

amother [ Sienna ] wrote:

Yes, yes, yes! I have been busy preparing this whole weekend. It’s like I’ve been given a brand new job, and I need to do it while my own kids are home. So hard!

amother

Seagreen

Sun, Mar 15 2020, 9:47 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Yes you are expected to pay. It’s like your kids having s sick day.
Considering almost every business that possibly can is having their employees work remote I think this is the norm now.
I’d think you have to deal with it like when your kids have a sick day.

amother

Crimson

Sun, Mar 15 2020, 9:51 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

1. I have not heard anything regarding tuition refunds or reductions, so I assume the school generally expects people to pay whatever they were previously paying. I suspect that some specific people may ask for need-based breaks that they wouldn't have otherwise asked for and may receive them, but I don't know for certain.

2. I believe the teachers are being paid, as they are continuing to work and deliver material.

3. As a practical matter, parents need to provide or find paid childcare for their young children. Many, if not most, of those who continue to work full-time will need to pay for childcare to do their jobs adequately. Working from home doesn't mean we suddenly have less work.

4. I feel that parents who can afford to be understanding, as BH DH and I can, should suck it up and pay the tuition and also pay for whatever other care we need in the meantime. Parents who need a tuition break because their income has been greatly reduced or chas veshalom eliminated should ask the schools for a need-based break, and the schools should try to be understanding. Wherever we can obtain government relief for our institutions and needy neighbors, we should strive to do so.

I don't believe it's constructive to view the schools as being at fault, or to view the parents who can't pay as being at fault. I doubt anyone saw this coming 6 months ago, and I don't see our teachers or our parents getting rich off it. Everyone should try to contribute what they can or to ask for what they need if that's the position they are in.

amother

Mon, Mar 16 2020, 9:50 pm

If schools stay closed until the end of the year do you think this will change?

small bean

Mon, Mar 16 2020, 9:53 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

If schools stay closed until the end of the year do you think this will change?

No. In most schools the staff is working really hard to make distance learning work. You should appreciate it and pay them for it.

amother

Ivory

Mon, Mar 16 2020, 9:57 pm

small bean wrote:

No. In most schools the staff is working really hard to make distance learning work. You should appreciate it and pay them for it.

I recognize their hard work and appreciate it. At the same time, it's not clear to me why I'm paying the same rate when the costs and the value are definitely not the same.

small bean

Mon, Mar 16 2020, 9:59 pm

amother [ Ivory ] wrote:

I recognize their hard work and appreciate it. At the same time, it's not clear to me why I'm paying the same rate when the costs and the value are definitely not the same.

How do you rate pay effort and time?

imorethanamother

Mon, Mar 16 2020, 10:03 pm

small bean wrote:

No. In most schools the staff is working really hard to make distance learning work. You should appreciate it and pay them for it.

And what if staff isn't making distance learning? Many of our parents in the school don't have internet. They sent home some textbooks with. . . no idea what to do.

small bean

Mon, Mar 16 2020, 10:06 pm

imorethanamother wrote:

And what if staff isn't making distance learning? Many of our parents in the school don't have internet. They sent home some textbooks with. . . no idea what to do.

Are they planning on teleconferencing? You don't need internet to do that. I assume they are putting things into place and will be in touch with you

amother

Goldenrod

Mon, Mar 16 2020, 10:08 pm

It's not going to last. In some schools where almost nobody has internet, the most the teachers are doing is teaching over the phone for an hour or so.

There's no way that is going to continue every day until June, if schools still closed then.
Teaching/learning will stop completely for those schools at some point.

What happens to tuition then?

amother

Wheat

Mon, Mar 16 2020, 10:11 pm

small bean wrote:

No. In most schools the staff is working really hard to make distance learning work. You should appreciate it and pay them for it.

I find it hard to believe that the staff at my kids’ school is working as hard to prepare and deliver a 30 minute daily phone lesson as they would be for the usual 4+ hours they typically teach each day.

Amarante

Mon, Mar 16 2020, 10:17 pm

Most of the expenses of any school are already owed. There is not that much additional cost by having pupils in the building. You don't get a discount for short months or when there are many holidays.

If schools don't receive tuition, many of them would have to close permanently.

imorethanamother

Mon, Mar 16 2020, 10:26 pm

amother [ Goldenrod ] wrote:

Since Trump is going on and on about "hot spots" and "quarantine until June or August", I'm assuming that's it for our school year. Either the administration has to come up with a helluva plan, or it's going to be mutiny.

amother

Seagreen

Mon, Mar 16 2020, 10:26 pm

amother [ Ivory ] wrote:

I recognize their hard work and appreciate it. At the same time, it's not clear to me why I'm paying the same rate when the costs and the value are definitely not the same.

Building morgage
Taxes
Insurance
Utilities

Do you want a school for students to return to?

Teachers salaries are a tiny fraction of tuition.

amother

Seagreen

Mon, Mar 16 2020, 10:27 pm

amother [ Goldenrod ] wrote:

Pay expenses needed not to close the school forever.
I don’t think you understand where your tuition goes.
Do you think it just gets divided among the teachers and secretaries and that’s it?

Page 1 of 3

1 2 3 Next