Notes on Financial Stability for Montessori Schools During COVID-19 – or Any Time By Charlie Biggs, Executive Coach/Consultant for Nonprofit Organizations and Independent Schools and Preschools
Financial stability depends on keeping a balance between income and expenses — with at least a little more income over time so your school can survive and thrive. This can be difficult under any circumstances. It is especially challenging during a situation
like the current COVID-19 pandemic. Here are some thoughts on how Montessori schools can achieve financial stability – looking first at income, second at expenses, and finally at developing and sharing contingency budgets to help with your planning and keep your staff and families in the loop. Some of these suggestions are specific to COVID-19. Others are more general and could apply any time. Each of these points could easily be a whole article unto itself, but I want to outline them all here to give you a wide range of things to think about as you and your school grapple with how to sustain and strengthen your work through this strange and difficult time.1
INCOME
are at least three reasons for this, all of
and your staff are undoubtedly working
which you can and should explain to the
harder than ever and putting in even
ensure the long-term financial stability
parents at your school.
longer hours than usual. You all have a
To get through the current crisis and
of your school, I would encourage you to
1. Closing your physical facility is
right to be paid for this work, and you
do the following.
not your choice or your fault. You
have a right to expect parents to keep
are following guidelines set by lo-
paying tuition in return.
supporting their families, and charging
cal, state, and/or federal authorities –
tuition even if your physical facility has
guidelines that are designed to ensure
you are ensuring that your school will
to close. At some point, or perhaps sev-
the health and safety of your students,
still be there for your students, fami-
eral times, over the coming year, your
families, and staff. So, hard as it may be
lies, and staff when the pandemic
local or state government and/or Health
for parents to understand, your closing
finally ends. If parents stop paying,
Department may order you to close your
actually benefits them and their children.
you will have to lay off your staff, caus-
physical facility – either because of a case
2. By continuing to educate and
ing real hardship for them and possibly
in your school community or because of
support your students and families
forcing them to look for other jobs. Un-
an increase in cases in the broader local
through at-home learning, you are
less you have substantial reserves, you
community.
doing
under
also probably won’t be able to pay your
If this happens, you should continue
the circumstances. In fact, based on
fixed operating expenses, such as rent,
educating and supporting your students
what I’ve heard from Montessorians in
utilities, copier fees, etc. On top of all
and their families through home-based
Tennessee and across the country,
that, your parents might lose confidence
instruction, and you should definitely
you’re probably doing more than most
in your school and take their children
keep charging your full tuition. There
of the other schools in your area. You
to other schools that can support them
• Continue educating your students,
everything
you
can
3. By continuing to charge tuition,
1 The ideas I’m sharing here come from my experience in nonprofit management and fundraising and as Director of the Knoxville Montessori School from 2009-2017, from webinars on various aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic that I’ve attended, and from insights gleaned from individual and group conversations with Montessori teachers and administrators in Tennessee and across the country. I am particularly indebted to the participants in the ongoing series of Zoom meetings on the pandemic organized by the Montessori Alliance of Tennessee and to the participants in the weekly Zoom meetings that the Knoxville Friends of Montessori has been holding since April 2020. Any errors and omissions in this article are, of course, my own. Everything I say here is intended as a suggestion, and you should be sure to check with your lawyer, accountant, business advisor, etc. before adopting any of these ideas.
VOLUME 22 ISSUE 4 • 2020 | WWW.MONTESSORI.ORG/IMC | ©MONTESSORI LEADERSHIP
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