I have a friend from Ukraine who told me that when you look back at Kyiv, life is defined as “before Chernobyl” and “after Chernobyl.” He further remarked that when COVID-19 is finished, “it will be our generation’s demarcation point.”
For private and faith based schools, this is a striking truth. There are those schools that deal only with the top 1%, in terms of wealth, whose lives will not markedly change. For those hundreds of schools that have a mixture of families from all financial demographics, this demarcation point will be a road less travelled. The lifeblood of our schools is, and always will be, our tuition income which is driven by student count. And this student count may be altered significantly by those in the thousands of businesses and industries that have been rocked by this unbelievable time in our history.
So what should we prepare for? First, an incredibly busy and challenging summer. These next months will, in so many ways, be the school’s finest or worst moment in its history. How will we deal with the many parents who just decide that tuition is now unaffordable? Is your school’s “why” so significant to them that they will fight to keep their children there? Are the Board and Head aligned on how much additional financial aid to grant? Will you defer tuition to the future as you supplement with reserves or additional philanthropy? Maintaining present successful students is so much better than backfilling with new students that may or may not be a successful fit. And the challenge is, that the next 4 months will be crucial.
The fundamental leadership statement that “character isn’t developed in crisis, but revealed,” is transferable to your future enrollment trend. The fundamentals of better enrollment won’t change; they will be revealed. First, do your constituents know why they send their children to your school? Are they in agreement about this “why?” Is the marketing that is occurring now reinforcing the customer choice and sacrifice? Does each family, individually, feel that you know their situation and are willing to work with them to assist? These people are some of the most important marketers for your school. In conjunction, do your faculty and staff know that you understand their families’ situations and are doing all you can to help? If these two groups are aligned, espousing the heartfelt “why,” and feel the school is doing all possible to be a beacon of hope right now, the chances of disaster are diminished.
This is a time to proactively get ready for next year in a way never necessary before. The world will slowly reopen, and as it does your time to establish your school’s future becomes ever more crucial. Your school’s future will be defined by this pandemic and your wise reaction to it. May this be your time to shine.
