I think I posted an old letter from WDS yesterday by mistake. here's the more recent letter:
Open
Letter on Day School Tuition
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As WDS begins an exciting
transition period, we wanted to take this opportunity to reaffirm our
commitment to addressing the issue of day school affordability. In February
2010, in response to a deepening economic crisis, Westchester Day School
received widespread accolades by lowering tuition for the first time in its
history. This past Fall, WDS announced another bold initiative and reduced
tuition rates in the lower grades by 25% as part of a multi-year plan
designed to reset tuition rates across ALL grades over the next seven
years. We again received praise from our community Rabbis and virtually the
entire parent body, though a small group within Westchester has chosen to
respond by opening a competing school.
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Over the last four years, WDS
has found ways both to cut costs and to increase revenues. This has allowed
us to lower our tuition rates without sacrificing our superior educational
product and nurturing environment. The latest phase of our initiative, announced
this past October, reduced 2013-14 tuition rates in Ganon through 1st grade
by approximately 25%, resetting tuition for 1st grade at $13,500 from over
$18,500. The goal of our multi-year strategy is to reduce tuition
by a significant amount each year for one additional grade so that after
seven years the entire school will have a new tuition schedule. This
means that over time, a family with three children enrolled in WDS can save
over $100,000 (in today's dollars) from the new tuition schedule. In addition
to our efforts to address tuition costs, we are very proud to have
faithfully adhered to our tenet to not turn away students for financial
reasons, as we provide close to 40% of our families with financial aid.
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There are two key drivers that
make this ‘reset’ sustainable. First, WDS has a debt-free balance sheet,
thanks to a history of prudent expenditures, generous community-wide
support from a very broad donor-base, and a profitable summer program.
Second, our classes are currently operating under capacity, and therefore
we can increase our class size without a commensurate increase in expenses.
With more students, we can raise revenue and thereby provide lower tuition
to our families. WDS is committed to this program, absent any extraneous
factors, but only if we meet our enrollment targets – if we meet those
targets, the program will fund itself going forward. In short, WDS has
rolled out a carefully considered, sustainable model that will provide
families with substantial tuition relief while maintaining our high quality
of education.
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By all measures this initiative
should be met with excitement, energy and support. And, for the vast
majority of our community, this has been true, and we thank you for your
support. However, despite these efforts, a small group has decided to start
up a competing school and has been actively recruiting WDS families,
something never seen before in the Westchester area.
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Over the past 65 years,
Westchester Day School has prepared close to 2,000 students for the high
schools and ultimately the universities of their choice, instilling them
with a love of Judaism and a strong sense of community. WDS provides a
proven academic program with a coveted accreditation by the Middle States
Association on Elementary Schools, and is situated on a spectacular
one-of-a-kind campus. Our talented faculty members, including our
specialists (phys ed, music and art teachers, a librarian and a Learning
Center team) bring a wealth of experience that cannot be replicated
overnight. We take pride in our approach to differentiated learning that
provides students with extra support or challenges, we offer stimulating
extra-curricular activities, and our children benefit from valued staff
members, including our school psychologist, nurse and social worker. Just
like any school focused on 21st century education, we have rolled out pilot
programs in blended learning, and supplemented our curriculum with
computers, SMARTboards, and even our own iPhone app.
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Our pledge is to continue to
focus on containing costs, but not to the detriment of the educational,
emotional or spiritual growth of our students. We are not willing
to do away with resource rooms, over-extend class sizes, hire more
junior teachers or frequently turn over faculty in an effort to cut costs.
While we will continue to experiment through pilot programs, we are not
willing to adopt a new model until there is a curriculum (both general
studies and Judaic studies) with a proven academic track record, and one
that has demonstrated long-term financial sustainability.
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Day schools around the country
have a duty to serve their communities. If a community day school chooses
to ignore the tuition issue, it ought to face pressure from its
constituency. That has never been the case with Westchester Day
School, and is certainly not the case in 2013, as evidenced by our latest
initiative. The concept of a new competitor directly undermines WDS’
multi-year strategy of lowering tuition through increased enrollment,
putting more pressure on donors in the community and jeopardizing the
prospects for tuition relief for all WDS families.
As we kick off 2013, it is an
exciting time for you to be part of the WDS family. You should take great
pride in the school and the tremendous value proposition we offer to the
community. We are once again taking a leading role in addressing day school
affordability, while at the same time we continue to introduce innovative
programming and provide a top notch education to our nearly 400 students.
We thank you for your continued
support, and look forward to celebrating with you at the upcoming Annual Dinner on
Saturday, January 12.
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Dan Kosowsky
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David Goldschmidt
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President
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Chairman
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