Today at Breck April 2013: Financial Aid article

TODAY AT BRECK

SUMMER 2013

Financial Aid:

The Budget

Is Large,

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But the

Need Is

Always

Growing When Breck was founded in Wilder, Minnesota, in 1886, there were 34 students. Most of them were children of immigrant farmers, and tuition and board at the school was $110 for the entire year.

A lot has changed over the last 127 years. We no longer organize our school year around the harvesting schedule, we’ve moved to Golden Valley, and tuition is slightly higher.

What hasn’t changed is Breck’s commitment to ensuring that the school is accessible to families of all economic backgrounds.

Financial Aid Recipients: 2012-13

Our robust budget for financial aid, the largest among Minnesota independent schools by a

Lower School

#

Middle School

#

Upper School

#

2012-13, Breck awarded $5.1 million in need-

Preschool

12

Grade 5

16

Grade 9

29

based financial assistance, supporting 23% of the

Kindergarten

15

Grade 6

10

Grade 10

36

Grade 1

13

Grade 7

25

Grade 11

22

Grade 2

13

Grade 8

19

Grade 12

17

Grade 3

21

Grade 4

17

significant margin, makes it all possible. In

student body across all three divisions with some degree of aid.

It makes a big difference to families, says Director of Admissions Scott Wade, and it also makes a big difference to Breck. “Having a healthy financial aid budget allows us to enroll

Gross Income

highly motivated and talented students who could not otherwise afford a Breck education,”

# of Recipients

% FA Recipients

Amount of Total Grants

Average Award

23

Up to $50,000

66

25

$1,454,435

$22,040

$50,000–$100,000

89

34

1,772,130

19,910

important at Breck, which strives to maintain

$100,000–$150,000

71

27

1,287,030

18,130

racial, religious and geographical diversity as

$150,000–$200,000

19

7

287,460

15,130

well. Wade notes that his office works hard to

$200,000–$250,000

11

4

79,520

7,230

Over $250,000

9

3

33,200

3,690

he observes. “It’s just that simple.”

Maintaining socioeconomic diversity is

make sure that both prospective and current families understand that resources are

As you can see from the table above, need-based grants went to families with a wide range of annual income last year. The Breck Financial Aid committee considers total income as a starting point, along with many other factors, such as family size, number of children in tuition-bearing schools, age of the primary working parent, assets, liabilities and unusual allowable expenses. Please consider this as a general guideline.

available. “We make sure that basic information about financial aid is prominently displayed on our website,” he explains. “We want people looking at Breck to go through the admissions process and not disqualify themselves due to ‘sticker shock.’ ” Over the years, as the budget has grown, so has

In fact, the range of family income among those receiving

the range of families applying for and receiving aid. “We’ve

financial aid currently is from $30,000– $250,000. Both Wade

got to be realistic,” says Assistant Director of Admissions and

and Kennon are quick to point out that decisions are based on

Financial Aid Director Marion Jones Kennon. “Tuition comes

a number of factors, including number of children in other

from after-tax discretionary income, and depending on any

tuition-bearing institutions, and circumstances involving

number of circumstances, we’re finding that families with

employment and illness. “There are degrees of need,” Kennon

what used to be considered high income need help.”

observes, “and we try hard to do what we can.”

Percentage of students receiving financial aid

10

5

’08-09

’07-08

’06-07

’05-06

’04-05

’03-04

’02-03

’01-02

’00-01

’99-00

’98-99

’97-98

15

’96-97

’12-13

’11-12

20

’09-10

’10-11

25 percent

TODAY AT BRECK

SUMMER 2013

The Human Side of Financial Assistance: Remembering Del Carter ’50 This article is filled with the facts,

financial support of members of the Breck community, Del

figures and philosophy of financial

was able to attend—and keep attending—Breck. “Breck

aid at Breck. What it doesn’t

became his home, and its community became his second

describe is the personal side of

family,” observes Director of Alumni and Parent Relations

the equation. No one was a more

Michelle Geo Olmstead.

powerful advocate or had a more

“Del was a tireless volunteer for raising funds for financial

genuine and profound apprecia-

aid with such a strong personal story to tell about the way

tion for the power of assistance

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attending Breck changed his life,”says Head of School

than the late Del Carter ’50.

Edward Kim. “And he never failed to do as much as he

After his mother passed away when he was ten years old,

could to pass along the favor to future generations of

Del and his father moved from Ohio to Minnesota. With the

students as well.”

The school has also worked hard to provide more transpar-

need it in 2012-13. “Our resources are plentiful, but the

ency to the process. “It’s so important to make families feel

number of applications keeps increasing. And, unfortunately,

comfortable,” explains Kennon, “and now they can go online

we can’t help all the wonderful students we’d like.”

to SSS (the financial aid clearinghouse sponsored by the

Wade says it’s important to keep in mind that philanthropy

National Association of Independent Schools), plug in their

plays a critical role in providing the funding for financial

information and find out what kind of aid they qualify for,

aid. “Over the years, Breck has been so fortunate to be the

which helps give them real information right from the start.”

recipient of a great many endowed scholarships. They

Another key dimension of Breck’s approach to financial aid is

really help assure that the financial aid budget is not totally

a commitment to maintaining financial aid for students

tuition-driven. In fact, the last four years have seen our

throughout the course of their whole Breck career. Families

lowest annual tuition increases in the past 20 years. We know that affordability is one of our families’ greatest concerns, and people should know that it’s always at the forefront of our consideration.”

must apply for assistance each year and supply current financial information to the school. “Our aim is to keep our base and add to it,” explains Kennon, who noted that three families who had previously received financial aid didn’t

Financial aid budget over the past 25 years (in millions)

’06-07

’05-06

’03-04

’02-03

’01-02

’00-01

’98-99

’97-98

’96-97

’95-96

’94-95

’93-94

’92-93

’91-92

’90-91

’89-90

’87-88

’86-87

$1

’88-89

$2

’99-00

$3

’04-05

’12-13

’10-11

’09-10

’08-09

$4

’07-08

$5

’11-12

$6 million

Kim adds, “We at Breck are proud of the way our preschool

Breck’s leading donor, Lee R. Anderson, Sr., ’57 couldn’t

through twelfth grade campus spans the generations—and

agree more. He says, “Diversity has been important at

in a way that is so typically human we sometimes feel that

Breck throughout its history. It was never a school just for

we of the present generation own the concept. But through

the affluent but always attracted students of all back-

my conversations with Del and his stories of life on the

grounds. And financial aid is the single most important way

Como campus, I quickly came to realize how very much

to maintain that distinction.”

that experience was true for him as well. When he would talk about tucking first graders into bed, wiping their noses and tying their shoes, I understood how much Breck meant to him. The teachers, the coaches, his classmates, and the housemothers all helped shape him into the man he

Many of Del’s classmates called him “Mr. Breck.” Reflects Kim, “Whether they meant it as admiration, teasing or a little of both, we couldn’t be more proud to think of him that way.”

became.”

Named AND ENDOWED Scholarships at Breck Breck School gratefully acknowledges the donors who have provided funds for named scholarships, whose recipients are selected by the school’s financial aid committee. For more information about named scholarship opportunities, please contact Director of Advancement Meredith Cook VanDuyne at 763-381-8343 or meredith.vanduyne@breckschool.org

Alliss Scholarship Lee R. Anderson ’57 Scholarship Lowell and Nadine Andreas Scholarship Anonymous Scholarship (2) Bemis Scholarship Virginia McKnight Binger Scholarship William Clark ’48 Scholarship Shirley Dayton Memorial Scholarship E.E. Ford Foundation Scholarship General Mills Scholarship GEORGE FAMILY FOUNDATION NEXT GENERATION FUND SCHOLARSHIP Haupt Scholarship Hektner Family Scholarship Fund for Breck Faculty Children DOUG JONES FAMILY SCHOLARSHIP Bishop Hamilton H. Kellogg Scholarship Hamilton and Mildred Kellogg Charitable Trust ­Scholarship Martin Foundation Scholarship Minnesota Twins Scholarship Pohlad Family Foundation Scholarship Eric A. Ryan Scholarship St. Paul Companies Scholarship Bishop Whipple Scholarship

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