Tuition Assistance Program
2015-‐2016 School Year
Philosophy & Objectives:
The objective of the Board of Trustees and College of Teachers is to foster diversity within the community served by Taos Waldorf School (TWS). The Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) is designed to enable qualified students to attend TWS who might not otherwise be able to do so for financial reasons. At the same time, the primary responsibility of financing a child’s education at TWS rests with the family. TWS expects families to make this education a top priority in the budgeting of their financial resources. Parents often look beyond the School’s resources for assistance in paying tuition. Some TWS families do their own fundraising to send their children to TWS, some receive help from extended family members, and some take out student tuition bank loans.
TWS currently does not have a dedicated fund specific to Tuition Assistance. Every dollar that is awarded through Tuition Assistance must be raised by families and the Board of Trustees during the school year in order to cover the operating costs for that year. The Tuition Assistance Committee makes every effort to extend Tuition Assistance across the broadest spectrum of need with the understanding that there is a limit of funds that can be distributed for assistance and that this need is reassessed every year.
The Tuition Assistance Program for the 2015/2016 school year allows for nineteen students to receive Tuition Assistance. TWS offers seven students a tuition of $4,200, seven students a tuition of $5,400, and five students a tuition of $6,200. TWS does not discriminate on the basis of gender, age, race, religion, color, national or ethnic origin in the administration of its admission policies or Tuition Assistance Program.
The Tuition Assistance Program – Policies:
Below are the policies that define our Tuition Assistance Program.
• All Tuition Assistance awards are made for one year only and will be reviewed annually. Each year and for each child, parents must apply and submit the appropriate application and supporting documents.
• Admission decisions are made independently of decisions to award Tuition Assistance. All applicants must be accepted by the admissions department prior to the review of the Tuition Assistance application.
• Lifestyle choices that result in increased expenses or decreased income cannot be underwritten by Tuition Assistance.
• Approval for Tuition Assistance requires that a Waldorf education be among a family’s highest priorities for discretionary spending.
• The Tuition Assistance process is held in strictest confidence and with deep respect for privacy. All Tuition Assistance awards come with a confidentiality agreement. Details, general or specific, are not to be shared with other
families.
• The maximum award is limited to $3,300, which reduces the tuition obligation to $4,200.
• Tuition Assistance is based upon the information provided on the application. Any changes from the original enrollment application, at any later time, may necessitate an adjustment of the award.
• Tuition Assistance recipients are required to notify the Committee of any material changes in financial status at any time. Failure to report these changes may jeopardize future awards.
• Tuition Assistance applications are only considered in cases where all balances and fees are current.
• All fees outside of Tuition payments are not eligible for Tuition Assistance. • Timely submission of the family’s financial information to TADS is critical to
the Tuition Assistance process. Awards will not be granted without the complete application, W-‐2’s (or 1099’s), tax returns, a family budget and a letter (described below). As Tuition Assistance spaces are limited, late submission will be considered only if spaces remain available.
• It is imperative that families meet the April 27, 2015 deadline for notifying the school that you wish to re-‐enroll your child(ren) and receive the Tuition Assistance amount awarded. TWS will need to reallocate the tuition
assistance funds to other families, and availability of funds to your family will be jeopardized.
• For two-‐household families, the following guidelines pertain:
1) Tuition Assistance will be based on the total income of the student’s family.
2) Both parents retain the obligation to contribute what they can afford to the education of their children. Financial need is determined by a
family’s ability to meet educational expenses, not on a willingness to pay. 3) Non-‐custodial parents must also complete the TADS Financial Aid
4) If one parent is not involved in the child’s life, a statement from a third party that is aware of the situation in a professional capacity (a lawyer, therapist, member of the clergy, etc.) may be substituted for the financial documents from that parent.
5) If either parent has remarried, the financial information of the step-‐ parent must be included on the TADS Financial Aid Assessment form. 6) Our 30 day late payment policy goes into effect regardless of timely
payments by one parent.
The Tuition Assistance Program – Process Overview:
IMPORTANT DATES:
February 27, 2015 Tuition Assistance application process opened via TADS March 30, 2015 Deadline for completed Tuition Assistance applications
submitted to TADS
April 9, 2015 Tuition Assistance awards announced to families
April 27, 2015 Deadline for family’s acceptance of Tuition Assistance awards
The Tuition Assistance Committee grants assistance on the basis of demonstrated financial need and the availability of funds. The Committee will balance a family’s ability to pay tuition with standards that ensure equitable distribution of awards. Award decisions are informed by the recommendation of TADS. This financial needs assessment provider utilizes the reported household income of the custodial and non-‐custodial parents of the child(ren) to make a formal recommendation. The Committee will use this recommendation to help determine the amount of tuition assistance that will be awarded. The Committee gives (where applicable) strong, favorable consideration to volunteerism, previous fulfillment of Accessible to All Tuition Exchange contract, class size needs and a demonstrated commitment to TWS, as well as to Waldorf education more generally.
Tuition Assistance Application Process:
1) Fill out the TADS Financial Aid Assessment form; the form is available online at www.taoswaldorfschool.com/enrollment/tuition/or pick up a paper copy in the TWS office.
2) Transmitting to TADS: Applications are accepted online or by mail. You may complete the application online, pay the application fee of $34/family, scan and upload all supporting documentation to TADS directly. Or you may mail the application fee of $34/family and copies of all supporting documentation to: TADS, 1201 Hawthorne Ave., Ste 100, Minneapolis, MN 55403. Families who choose a hard copy/paper option will incur a $6 fee from TADS to cover data entry of the application. Do not leave a hard copy at the school’s office. 3) Supporting Documentation:
a. Tax Returns: We realize that the 2014 tax returns may not be complete during the time of the Tuition Assistance process. Please submit the 2013 tax return to TADS. Also, please submit your 2014 W-‐2’s or 1099s. Do not delay
your Tuition Assistance application by waiting for a 2014 tax return to be submitted.
b.Family Budget Worksheet: A family budget worksheet is included in the TADS application. Please be sure to complete this as accurately as possible. c. Letter: A personal letter outlining your situation and any extenuating
circumstances is required. Such a letter must be included with your documents transmitted to TADS. The letter is important in the overall consideration to highlight the unique details that you want to have expressly understood in the review process, which may not be reflected in the TADS application.
Examples to include in this letter might be:
• Do you plan to have your children attend TWS beyond this coming school year?
• In a few sentences, briefly summarize your connection to Waldorf education.
• Do you receive any income that is not reflected on the income tax returns?
• When you review the income or expenses reported on the TADS application, are there other categories of income or expenses that we should know about?
• How are you projecting your income and expenses to change
compared to the most recent historical year? Any expected changes in income in the year to come, i.e., raises, loss of hours, loss of benefits, commissions or bonuses, etc?
• Do you anticipate outside help from friends and family to meet the tuition amount? PLEASE LOOK TO THESE SOURCES BEFORE STATING YOUR NEED.
• Specifically, how do you plan to cover the balance not covered by Tuition Assistance?
• Is your financial need temporary? What plan is underway to move away from a situation of financial need?
• Have you contributed to a retirement plan in the most recent year, and what are your plans to contribute to a retirement plan while receiving Tuition Assistance funds?
• For a two-‐parent family, are both parents working? If not, are they actively seeking gainful employment? If not, why?
• Discuss your volunteerism at the school, either past or future.
4) Complete Applications: The Tuition Assistance Committee will not be able to proceed with a review of your application until all of the above information is complete. A complete application IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY. TADS will follow up with you regarding any missing elements. The personal letter, supporting tax forms and family budget are mandatory. If you do not yet have the most recent year’s tax returns complete, please submit the previous year’s tax returns at the same time you submit the TADS application. If these items are not received by
March 26, 2015, the deadline for all applications, we will need to make your application inactive. If you miss the April 27, 2015 deadline for notifying the
school that you wish to re-‐enroll your child(ren) and receive the Tuition Assistance amount awarded to you, we will need to reallocate the tuition assistance funds to other families, and availability of funds to your family will be jeopardized.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Who is on the Tuition Assistance Committee?
The individuals who serve on the Tuition Assistance Committee remain anonymous and hold the information that each family provides in the strictest confidence. The committee members have been selected based upon their complete impartiality to all tuition assistance requests.
Is there preference given to certain groups of families?
Tuition Assistance awards are made to families of students who are in good academic standing and who demonstrate financial need. In addition, priorities are given to:
1) Families already enrolled at TWS
2) Families new to TWS, with previous Waldorf experience.
3) Families new to TWS, without previous Waldorf experience and with a child coming into the Kindergarten and lower grades (1st – 3rd).
What criteria does the Tuition Assistance Committee consider when determining the Tuition Assistance amount for each family?
1) Years at TWS
2) Timeliness of previous tuition payments 3) Number of students per family
4) Level of volunteerism at school
5) Previous Work Contribution (for former ATA families) 6) School’s enrollment needs
7) Additional potential income sources available to the family
8) Evidence that the family is making reasonable efforts to pay TWS tuition 9) Evidence of the family’s long term commitment to the school
10) Evidence that the family will be able to maintain their financial commitments to the school for the duration of their child’s enrollment.
11) Extenuating circumstances provided to the Financial Aid Committee in writing on the Financial Aid application form.
Are both parents expected to work?
The Tuition Assistance Program seeks to assist families with the degree of financial need such that all options are being explored to relieve the financial need while Tuition Assistance is being requested. Those options would include both parents actively seeking employment or other income generating possibilities.
Have questions regarding Tuition Assistance?
Please contact the School Administrator, Colleen Shendo, at 575-‐751-‐7750 or [email protected].
