Letter to Urban Academy Leadership and Board of Directors

Concerns Regarding the 2026-2027 Tuition Increase

To: Kate Begent-Connors, Board Chair, and Mike Slinger, Head of School
From: Concerned Urban Academy Families
Date: December 2025

We write as engaged and committed Urban Academy parents who care deeply about the school's long-term success and the well-being of its families. While we recognize the importance of financial sustainability and responsible stewardship, we have significant concerns regarding the announced tuition increase for 2026-2027. The timing, lack of transparent justification, and absence of meaningful consultation have left many families feeling blindsided and financially strained.

Timing and Financial Burden

Announcing a substantial tuition increase just weeks before re-registration, during the holiday season, creates unnecessary pressure on families. Many households are already managing rising costs of living. This timeline does not allow adequate time for financial planning or to evaluate alternatives. The January 12 tuition assistance deadline and February 26 re-registration deadline leave families scrambling at the worst possible time of year.

Asking families to commit significant additional funds with such short notice places undue stress on those already balancing careful budgets.

Insufficient Justification and Lack of Transparency

The explanation provided references "long-term sustainability" and operational needs, but offers few concrete details. Families have asked:

• What specific costs have risen, and by how much?
• What is the actual per-student operating cost, and how does current tuition compare?
• What is the size of the "structural shortfall" being addressed?
• What cost-containment measures were considered?
• How were projections calculated and independently reviewed?

General statements about rising costs and future planning do not meet the level of clarity families reasonably expect when asked to commit tens of thousands of additional dollars. We need to understand the specific financial picture driving this decision.

Lack of Community Engagement

Major financial decisions warrant early engagement with the community. This announcement came only after the decision was made, leaving families feeling excluded from a process that directly affects their financial commitments and their children's education.

We understand the Board is composed of current UA parents. However, Board membership does not substitute for meaningful consultation with the broader parent community. Best practice at independent schools involves advance notice and dialogue before decisions are finalized, not notification after the fact.

Comparative Value

At the newly announced tuition level, Urban Academy is positioned alongside, and in some cases above, other independent schools that offer more extensive facilities, programming, and established reputations.

Families are asking:

• How does UA's offering compare in scope and scale to schools charging similar tuition?
• What tangible enhancements justify this pricing relative to peer institutions?
• Why should families accept comparable pricing without comparable offerings?

The comparison chart provided focuses only on tuition numbers. If UA is asking families to pay fees similar to peer schools, we need transparent, side-by-side comparisons of program offerings, facilities, and outcomes - not just price.

Tuition Assistance Is Not a Complete Answer

Referring families to tuition assistance does not fully address these concerns. Many families facing this increase are not in financial crisis, they are middle-income families who planned carefully based on UA's fee structure and now find the terms changing substantially.

Tuition assistance creates uncertainty; families cannot plan around aid that may or may not be granted. It should not be the primary mechanism by which families who could afford what they signed up for manage an unexpected increase.

Impact on Community and Trust

Urban Academy has built its identity on accessibility, belonging, and community. The school has always valued being a "family." This sudden increase risks changing that character by pricing out families who have been part of building this community.

Trust between leadership and families is strengthened through clarity, early engagement, and evidence-based justification - all areas where this process has fallen short.

Our Request

We respectfully ask the Board to:

• Provide comprehensive financial details showing the necessity and calculation of this specific increase
• Halt the planned fee increase for 2026-2027 school year
• Consider phased implementation approach with options that lessen the immediate financial impact on current families
• Host open forums for parent questions and genuine dialogue before re-registration deadlines
• Offer clear comparative analyses with peer schools that include facilities, programming, and outcomes, not just tuition
• Extend key deadlines to allow families adequate time to understand and respond to these changes

Urban Academy has built something special over 25 years, and many families deeply value its mission and community. We want the school to succeed and thrive. But without clearer communication, transparent justification, and respect for the financial realities of current families, this tuition increase risks damaging the trust and accessibility that define this community.

We look forward to a constructive dialogue.

Sincerely,

Concerned Urban Academy Parents