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Dear Friends, Overview of Our Financial Aid Program For the 2012-2013 school year, Highland Hall will offer tuition assistance grants. Grants are awarded based on the demonstrated financial need of a family. The program is administered by the Tuition Assistance Committee (TAC) under the supervision of the Finance Manager. The TAC includes members of the faculty and parent body. Grants are available to students in every class at the school. This past year the school was able to provide grants to nearly 100 families. When the TAC finds that a family’s financial position shows a need for assistance it then determines the appropriate grant level based on income, other financial resources and overall family circumstances. The majority of grants will be between 10-30%. In rare circumstances, a grant will be awarded at the maximum level of 40%. Grants reduce the tuition due from parents and are applied to the tuition statements. Highland Hall uses the Grant & Aid Assessment program of FACTS Management Company. We encourage you to use their online application. There are many advantages to the online method: primarily it helps to avoid the inherent delays of paper applications. However, if you do not have access to the online service then we can provide a paper application. Please contact our Business Office if you need an application form. The grant applications will be processed in April. Applications are due by March 31st 2012. We expect grant decisions to be available by early May. Applications received after March 31st will be accepted and considered on a first come first served basis. These grant award decisions will typically be available within 4 weeks of submission of the completed application. Please be aware that later submissions may be subject to fewer available funds, depending on the number of qualified applicants who have received funds earlier in the process. Therefore, we encourage you to apply as early as possible. Grant decisions require a certain amount of social standard setting. While our Tuition Assistance Program aims to help families from a variety of social and economic backgrounds participate in a Waldorf education for their children, we also recognize that the primary responsibility for financing a student’s independent school education rests with his or her family. Tuition Assistance is granted on the basis of need which is determined by comparing the income and resources of applicants against their assets and liabilities. It is expected that parents applying for tuition assistance will first assess their financial status and turn to other sources before asking the school for assistance. While our aim is to increase the possibility of Waldorf education to all of our students, our ability to do so is limited. Assistance comes in the form of tuition reduction and is supported by other families’ tuition payments. As a result, the school is not in a financial position to support lifestyle choices that have a negative impact on the family’s ability to pay tuition. We expect all parents to contribute honestly toward tuition, including seeking employment in order to help defray school costs. Waldorf education strongly supports the benefit to young children of being able to spend time at home with a parent. Families who have one parent staying at home with a young child are encouraged to apply for a grant if this circumstance substantially lowers their income. When all of the children in the home are in the grades, the school expects every parent to contribute to the financial support of their student’s education. In determining awards, the TAC relies upon the expected family contribution as calculated by the FACTS Management Grant & Aid support service, the family’s submitted tax returns, and any special financial considerations communicated by the family. Final assistance decisions are based on the TAC’s assessment of the family’s needs, the number of applications, and the overall needs of the school as reflected in the budgeted funds available. There is always a greater demand for assistance than there are resources. Because the demand for assistance is high, families are advised that they may need to seek additional resources to supplement the grants they receive from the school’s tuition assistance program. In many cases, the School can meet only a portion of a family’s need as calculated by FACTS. The majority of our grants are awarded to single parent families and to families with two or more children. Families in which the parents are separated can file either a combined application including information for both parents or separate applications showing each parent’s own information. Divorced parents should each file separate applications. Generally speaking, families with two parents and one child will qualify for assistance only in cases where illness or other unusual circumstances exist. Applying for Tuition Assistance
Our first priority for awarding grants is meeting the financial needs of our current students. If you have questions about the Tuition Assistance program we will be glad to discuss this with you. Lisa Alberts |
