June 17, 2020
Dear SGWS Parent(s)/Guardian(s),
The Board of Trustees recognizes that SGWS families are being met with unprecedented personal, professional, financial and health-related challenges due to the COVID-19 crisis. We understand that each family's circumstances are unique and different. SGWS families who signed a Parent/Guardian Contract 2020-21 likely did not know the full impact of the pandemic on their lives at that time. Their circumstances may have changed significantly since they committed to enroll their student(s) at Spring Garden. Therefore, the Board has worked through complex decisions balancing the needs of SGWS families and the needs of the school to maintain its long-term health.
- In May, we shared that the Board of Trustees voted to rescind the 4% tuition increase which was to be implemented for the 2020-21 school year. A link to the addendum to the original tuition contract with the reduced tuition prices is here. Please sign and return through email or mail by June 30, 2020.
Two other significant actions were taken at the June 8th Board meeting.
- The first action was a commitment to offer a refund for the extended care portion of the day for full day early childhood students during any time that distance learning is implemented during the 2020-21 school year, consistent with what we offered this spring. This commitment is included in the addendum along with the tuition rate change referenced above. This refund will be given only upon request of the parent/guardian.
When this situation presents itself, a reminder will be sent to parents about this option and parents/guardians will be asked to contact Julie Marchetta, Director of Finance,
jmarchetta@sgws.org
, to request the refund.
- The second action allows any family the option to withdraw their child(ren) and opt-out of their Parent/Guardian Contract 2020-21.This option is being offered because the pandemic may be affecting families in a way that makes them unable to keep their prior commitment.
As a Board, we are committed to supporting any family who has concerns about returning in the fall for financial reasons through use of the financial assistance funds. A family can apply for tuition assistance at any time. A top priority is maintaining consistency for each student and class by removing barriers to continued enrollment. Enrollment is also vital to the long term sustainability of the school. In order to accommodate a balance between offering families an option to withdraw their child(ren) and opt-out of their contract with predicting our tuition revenue for the 2020-21 school year, there is a two week deadline to request this option from the date of this communication. Please note the $500 tuition deposit given at the time of enrollment is non-refundable.
Please contact Amy Hecky, Director of Admissions and Marketing,
admissions@sgws.org
, by June 30, 2020 at 11:59pm to disenroll your child(ren) from Spring Garden Waldorf School and opt-out of the Parent/Guardian Contract 2020-21.
Our sincere hope is that every family will feel supported by the work of Spring Garden's Board, administrators, teachers and staff to continue their child(ren)'s education here. Many people are working diligently on the school's reopening in the fall. We anticipate students will return to in-person learning and will be accommodated within the building as we meet necessary requirements.
Sincerely,
Kyle Yoder, Board President
Tracy Edwards, Director of Administration
