We are considering yet another school for ds6 next year. It's a small private school, and they currently have just 15 students (10 full time, 5 part time). The full timers range in age from 12-17. The school is working on establishing a new 1st-3rd grade class for the 2010-2011 school year. They will hire another teacher and get the ball rolling for the class if they have at least 5 students who are interested (max of 10). The school is asking for a $400 financial commitment to hold our spot for next year. This seems reasonable to me, but dh thinks it's absurd to expect us to pay for something we're not yet committed to. I want to make sure we have the option if we need it; he thinks we should tell them we'll pay the money if/when we decide for sure that we're going to register our son at their school. The school will refund the money if the class does not work out. They are a small organization that is willing to think outside the box and provide a nontraditional learning environment. I understand that if they do not have enough interested families they will not be able to establish the class, so I'm more than willing to pay the money. Dh says that they're not a charity organization; they can wait until we know for sure what we are doing. Do you know if this is standard practice to request a financial commitment this early? I'm attaching an email (below) from the school that explains the payment terms. Thanks for taking the time to check this out. I'm at a loss, as usual!
Hello - Hope 2010 is off to a great start for you and your family. I just wanted to follow up, recapping our meeting last month. I am excited about getting a 1st/2nd/3rd grade class established for the next school year. It will be an amazing journey of experiential learning, teaching for understanding, using all of a student's intelligences, projects, and community - all of which are extensively researched educational practices, and have been implemented successfully in our school over the past 7 years. As we discussed, the class will have a minimum of 5 students, and a maximum of 10 per teacher.
The elementary school day will be from 9:00 - 2:00, with academics/projects from 9 - 11:30, lunch till noon, and enrichment classes (art, pe, drama, music, science, and /or others to be determined) till 2:00. A non-refundable deposit of $400. will be required by February 15 in order to hold a student's place. (If the class does not meet the minimum number of students, this deposit will be refunded). This deposit will be used during the student's school year for materials, supplies, and field trips, so that you will have minimal additional expenses during the year.
We will confirm with you that the class has been established by February 17.
