Category: Tuition

“Georgia’s Special Needs Scholarship saved my oldest daughter’s life.”

Yet another compelling story about how the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship impacted a family, and why it’s awesome SB 386 passed the house, and now we need it to pass the Senate.

We have so many similar stories with our families that we completely understand their plights and advocate for these types of scholarships.

“Vivian was diagnosed with ADHD and a deficit in working memory in fourth grade. We obtained a 504 plan in fifth grade. This is a blueprint for supporting students with disabilities that allows them to continue learning alongside their peers, but our local public schools lacked the resources to provide that support when she entered middle school… 

“…Our once extroverted, tenderhearted child who was endlessly optimistic became angry, sullen and withdrawn. What she admitted to us later was alarming and heartbreaking: She had begun to have suicidal thoughts…

“…We decided we could not wait any longer and paid out of pocket for a private evaluation with a psychologist to help speed up the process. 

“Once her results were evaluated, the psychologist found several learning differences that would require an IEP. Unfortunately, it would be five months before an IEP would be written and by that time, Vivian had already failed sixth grade…

“…With the aid of the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship, Vivian began private school at the beginning of seventh grade.

“The difference was seen within the first three days of attendance. She began to thrive in an environment that taught subjects in multiple formats and gave individualized attention to her needs. They not only met the requirements of her evaluation but, in many ways, exceeded them.

“…But not all families have those resources. Senate Bill 386, which passed the Senate today, would strengthen the scholarship and break down barriers that families of special needs students face.”

Julia Mitchell Rohan

Read more about Vivian’s Story HERE. We have so many similar stories at Brookwood. You can read Mellie’s Story (our 2019 Valedictorian) in our 2018-2019 Annual Report, as well as HERE, and Blake’s Story in our 2017-2018 Annual Report, both are compelling, and the statistics for students who do not get appropriate reading instruction are grim, and outlined in the Progress Reports in both stories. You can also see the statistics regarding the success of our programs HERE.

Please CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVE and ask them to support SB 386 so that all Georgia students with special needs have access to a school where they can thrive, and tell them your story if it applies! 

Get to Know Families Impacted by Georgia’s Special Needs Scholarship.

#SayDyslexia #UntilEveryoneCanRead #1in5

SB 386 Passed the Senate!

Senate Bill 386 passed! Please take a moment to thank the senators who voted to support this legislation! Click HERE to find your senator.

You can read the full bill HERE.

Thanks to all of you who reached out to your senators! 🙂

“My only regret is not finding y’all sooner”

One of our Georgia Tax Credit Scholarship donors, who has continued to donate after his son graduated, had these words to say:

“You guys were so good for our son and we went through so many schools trying to find some place he would flourish.

“My only regret is not finding y’all sooner.

“I cannot say enough good things the school/teachers and especially Mr. Kevin.  He made a real impression on my son John.

“As long as the program is active you can expect me to participate.”


David Pereira

Thank you for your kind words and your continued support! Your generosity, along with our other donors, helped raise $42,750 for scholarships to aid our families!

John Pereira, class of 2019

#StopStruggling #StartPerforming #WeCanHelp

SB 386 Update

SB 386 passed the Senate Education & Youth Committee 6-4 and now awaits scheduling for a vote by the full Senate.

Ms. Noelle spoke before the committee last week and you can read her story HERE.

Many of our families at Brookwood Christian rely on the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship to ensure their child receives the services they need, as dyslexia, and many other language processing concerns, are not adequately addressed, if at all, in public school. Several other families need this scholarship but because they could not wait an extra year to address their child’s needs, they are ineligible. Passage of this bill may allow them to receive the scholarship. You can read more about it HERE.

Please CONTACT YOUR SENATOR and ask them to support SB 386 so that all Georgia students with special needs have access to a school where they can thrive, and tell them your story if it applies! 

You can read Mellie’s Story in our 2018-2019 Annual Report, and Blake’s Story in our 2017-2018 Annual Report, both are compelling, and the statistics for students who do not get appropriate reading instruction are grim, and outlined in the Progress Reports in both stories. You can also see the statistics regarding the success of our programs HERE.

Get to Know Families Impacted by Georgia’s Special Needs Scholarship.

If you have any questions, feel free to email Ms. Kim for clarification.

Read about other legislation that may impact our school HERE.




Financial Aid

To be considered for financial assistance other than the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship (SB10) for the 2020-2021 school year, there is a 2 step process:

  1. The Brookwood Christian School Financial Aid Request should be printed, completed, and returned to the Admissions Office, and
  2. the FACTS Grant & Aid on-line application must be completed, including submission of all financial aid documents from all custodial, non-custodial and step-parents (including uploaded 2018 Federal Tax Returns, all supporting schedules and forms, and W-2’s or 1099’s).

You can complete the Grant & Aid application through the application/ enrollment process OR you can complete it HERE. You do not need to complete it twice. There is a $35 charge to file the Grant & Aid request that is a one time fee for all FACTS schools for the academic year. Visit our Financial Assistance Page for more details.

THIS MUST BE COMPLETED NO LATER THAN APRIL 1, 2020.

Financial aid is reviewed annually, requiring all recipients of past aid awards to re-apply for the 2020-2021 school year. Please note this is NOT necessary for the SB10 Scholarship but is required for the Georgia Tax Credit Scholarship (APOGEE) or other available assistance.

It is the responsibility of the parent(s) to track the financial aid application from start to finish. Failing to provide the required information, not following the guidelines, or missing the April 1, 2020 deadline may result in not be considered for assistance.

Senate Bill 173 up for Reconsideration

Senate Bill 173 is up for reconsideration during this legislative session. The bill addresses  Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) and was introduced last session and defeated 28-25.

The bill would allow parents to use funds earmarked for public education to pay for qualified education expenses, including private school tuition. This would not be dependent on an IEP or 504, though we are not clear if this could supplement other scholarships or if receiving others, students may not be eligible for this. We will update as we find out.

Bills such as this would greatly benefit so many of our families. Most of our students, 93%, receive some sort of financial assistance, and over 40% receive at least 2 sources of financial assistance. The largest funding source is the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship (SB10) with other sources including: Georgia Tax Credit Scholarship, Easter Seals, and other Foundation Scholarships. 

Having an additional option for many families would help students receive the services they desperately need without a financial burden on their families.


House Bill 939

Georgia House Bill 939 will keep the cap on Georgia’s Tax Credit Scholarship program at $100 million. House Bill 217 (March 2018) made a cap increase from $58 million to $100 million. However, the bill has the cap returning to $58 million by 2029.

We realize this is not an immediate concern, but we also realize how much this scholarship benefits many of our families, and want to keep it as an option for our younger students who may still be enrolled at that time, as well as future students.

The $58 million cap was first exceeded in 2016 (2015 pledge year), which had the approved pledged amounts diminished to keep the totals under the cap. At that time, the approval rate was 91% of what was pledged. During the 2017 and 2018 cycle, the approval rates were 42% and 55%, respectively.

Last year, 2019, we saw not only a marked increase in pledges (42%) over the previous year, with the cap increase, it generated 146% more scholarship money for our students, many of whom would not be able to attend without this assistance.

The chart below shows how amazing our families are, the increase in pledging support as well as fulfilling their commitment. In each instance where the yellow bar (fulfillment) does not meet the red bar (approved amount), there was an unexpected financial situation that reduced the amount they were able to contribute, which is entirely understandable.

As we are embarking on 15 years of helping students reach their full reading potential (you can see our RESULTS), our ultimate goal is to have no child unable to attend because of his/her family’s financial situation. This scholarship, as well as our fundraising events, are essential for that endeavor. The graph below clearly shows the negative impact the $58 million cap had, where red & yellow were considerably below the blue (pledged amount) for 2017 & 2018.

PLEASE REACH OUT to your Representative and share this information.

Also, the 2020 cap has not been met! You can still help!

Click HERE for MORE INFORMATION and HERE to PLEDGE

#UntilEveryoneCanRead #1in5

Senate Bill 386 to Improve SB10 Scholarship

Senator Renee S. Unterman – R (45th District) has filed a bill that would improve SB10 (Georgia Special Needs Scholarship):

  • making it easier for families to enter the program
    • allowing students with 504 plans to be eligible, 
    • moving the one year requirement back to special needs pre-school,
    • creating a waiver for students adopted from foster care, and

  • would also make it easier for families already in the program
    • would base scholarship on most recent IEP–instead of Oct,
    • would give parents an appeal process, and 
    • would allow students who leave the program to enter back into it without having to repeat the one year!

This would ensure the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship reaches more eligible students by raising awareness for families, cutting red tape, and lowering barriers that frustrate efforts to enroll.

Ms. Noelle will be going to the capitol TOMORROW to tell her story about her daughter, Charlotte, as it will be addressed in committee. We will keep you updated as we learn more.

Many of our families at Brookwood Christian rely on this scholarship to ensure their child receives the services they need, as dyslexia, and many other language processing concerns, are not adequately addressed, if at all, in public school. 

Please CONTACT YOUR SENATOR and ask them to support SB 386 so that all Georgia students with special needs have access to a school where they can thrive, and tell them your story if it applies! 

You can read Mellie’s Story in our 2018-2019 Annual Report, and Blake’s Story in our 2017-2018 Annual Report, both are compelling, and the statistics for students who do not get appropriate reading instruction are grim, and outlined in the Progress Reports in both stories. You can also see the statistics regarding the success of our programs HERE.

Get to Know Families Impacted by Georgia’s Special Needs Scholarship.

If you have any questions, feel free to email Ms. Kim for clarification.

Important FACTS Updates

Brookwood Christian is in the process of implementing several services to make things easier for our families, students, staff, and to consilidate & minimize redundancy in the office.

Features to look for:
-Premier Billing (FACTS Tuition & SIS merge)
-Grant & Aid Applications
-Online Application and/or Reenrollment
-Giving

PREMIER BILLING

As many of you know, in Fall of 2017 we began utilizing FACTS Tuition to reduce the amount of time spent in the office dealing with bookkeeping and deposits. Within 3 months, the only regret we had was not doing it sooner!

During the Spring of 2018, McGraw-Hill announced that Engrade would no longer be an option for Student Information Systems (SIS) and Report Cards, so the logical step was RenWeb, a “sister company” of FACTS, both of whom have been leaders of these services for private schools across the U.S.

During the Fall of 2018, FACTS & RenWeb formally merged into one company and as we learned this summer at the FACTS conference, many changes are coming that will make things easier for both our families and staff.

The biggest one, which we are in process of implementing, is having FACTS Tuition and FACTS SIS system integrated into ONE easier to use system, Premier Billing. Below are some of the benefits for our families:

Simplified Enrollment

  • FACTS offers a faster, easier way for parents to enroll using Premier Billing. Parents simply select a payment plan as part of their enrollment/re-enrollment process.
  • Re-enrolling parents can pay registration fees using the stored bank account information in FACTS and view their enrollment fee payment in their FACTS financial activity.

Easy Login

  • Parents can view academic information and pay tuition and fees from any device with one username and password.
  • Premier Billing allows parents to access correspondence and account details, add funds to their prepay accounts, and make payments on tuition and bills from a single login.

Information Security

  • Your family data is kept under digital lock and key with the highest security standards in the industry.

GRANT & AID

This service will streamline applying for scholarships and aid (excluding the Georgia Special Needs (SB10) Scholarship). With a true, independently determined need of our families, this can not only make it possible to find other sources of funding, but also give a clear picture of need for other funding and grant writing.

  • Easy online application guides families through the entire process.
  • With one application and a single application fee, families can apply for aid at multiple FACTS schools.
  • All required verification documents are easily uploaded.
  • Families are alerted of their award status via email and can accept or decline online.
  • FACTS offers in-house customer service center staffed with best-in-class live agents and web chat.
  • Accessible through all modern internet browsers with a responsive design that gives families access through their preferred device, from desktop to tablet to phone.
  • FACTS provide the highest security standards in the industry when it comes to the collection and storage of financial and demographic data.

ONLINE APPLICATION & ENROLLMENT

Using a cost-effective school enrollment solution allows us to go paperless and view applications and enrollment packets as they are completed – saving time, resources, and making school budget projections more accurate. Benefits for families include:

  • Easy applications. School admissions solutions shouldn’t be complicated. Responsive application design and pre-populated demographic fields make admissions and enrollment a breeze.
  • Quick and simple. Families can sign up for payment plans during enrollment or re-enrollment.
  • No paper needed. No more leaving work early to turn in school paperwork. Parents can make their application fee payment on the go and send/receive referral forms online.
  • Access from anywhere. Parents can complete application and enrollment packets with any device – from laptop to smartphone.

FACTS GIVING

This service will make it easier for people to donate. Whether it’s our families, our alumni, or the broader community, this gives us the flexibility to create various appeals and events, and offers donors the ability to give via online gifts, text, pledges, event registrations, and more.

  • Donors can easily donate from any device via credit card, debit card, or ACH.
  • Text-to-give capability makes giving easy and convenient for our donors and for fundraising events.
  • Progress tracker updates, so donors can see their immediate impact on a project’s goals.
  • Donors can choose to cover transaction fees.
  • Supports one-time gifts, recurring donations, and pledges.
  • Email and text receipts make it easy to track individual giving and organize information for tax purposes.
  • No worries about payment or demographic information thanks to FACTS’ industry-leading security standards.

All four of these services are currently in
the implementation process. We will let you know once they are available for your use.

Thank you so much for your patience and understanding during this process, we are confident that once implemented this will make things so much easier for all of us. If you have ANY questions, Ms. Tammy will be available during Sneak-a-Peak, Wednesday, August 7th from 1-3pm.

Georgia Legislature “Crossover Day” Summary

Thursday, March 7, was the deadline to move bills from the Senate to the House and vice versa. However, legislation that failed to “cross over” may still pass by riding on other education-related bills before the session ends on April 2. Here is a wrap up of what may affect our families.

  • Look up HERE for Senate Bill that has has crossed to the House
  • Look up HERE for House Bill that has has crossed to the Senate
  • Also contact committee members linked under each bill.