We have been working hard to investigate and communicate creative ways to help you save on your BJA tuition costs. Let me enumerate them here so you can see which may apply to you.
First, let me mention the newest opportunity that parents can take advantage of—the Future Scholar 529 savings plan. You won’t want to miss the meeting on Tuesday, March 6, when Ryan White will give details of the new guidelines and answer any questions that you have. (Read more.) Included in the new federal tax law is a provision for 529 savings plans, which in the past provided tax advantages for higher education tuition, to extend to K–12 private school tuition expenses. If you pay tuition, this may potentially save you several hundred dollars per student each year. It also provides incentives to grandparents and others who contribute toward a student’s savings plan. You won’t want to miss the meeting since the federal and state details are brand new and not yet easy to find.
This past year BJA began awarding needs-based scholarships to qualifying families. There is more information about this here. We partner with SmartAid to determine eligibility. SmartAid charges a $35 administrative fee (per family regardless of the number of children). The first round of awards will be considered toward the end of March, so apply now if you would like to be considered. Applications are required each year; therefore, even if you applied last year, please resubmit to be considered for the 2018–2019 school year.
Of course, BJA automatically provides multiple child discounts. Each paying child after the first receives an additional 8% off the student tuition. In other words, the oldest BJA student is charged full tuition, the second receives an 8% discount, the third a 16% discount and so on. The moral of the story—have more children!
Don’t forget about the sizable recruitment incentive. Your currently enrolled student will receive $500 or more tuition credit on their school account in November for each new family that enrolls student(s). You can continue recruiting additional families up to the point of covering your child’s tuition. Read more details here.
And, if your child qualifies as an exceptional needs student, there may be an Exceptional SC scholarship available or a significant tax credit that may cover the student’s tuition for the year. For the last few years, the ECENC legislation has been in the form of a state proviso that is approved annually. There is a strong possibility that it will be codified into law this year. Please pray that this will be the case. Currently, the bill is making its way through the SC House, where it will likely pass. We will need additional prayer and advocacy if it heads to the Senate. Already, several parents have traveled to Columbia to meet with lawmakers. They effectively made their case to the legislators, who passed the bill out of committee. We may call on others to help in upcoming days.
Bob Jones Academy offers incredible value at a very reasonable cost when compared to other Christian schools. But we will continue to look for ways to help make Christian education affordable. At the same time, we want to take care of our phenomenal teachers who sacrifice to minister to your children. Please pray that the Lord will enable us to balance these factors so that your children can receive the best Christian education available.
Comments are closed.