Dear Mr & Mrs. Okonov and the Board of Directors, We, as parents, sincerely appreciate all the efforts Mr. & Mrs. Okonov and the Board of Directors are doing in building an excellent Russian-Jewish school for our children. We understand that it takes a lot of effort and money to create and maintain a school with such standards as Mazel Day School, while maintaining an individual and customized approach to education. However, for all of us (and we are sure many other parents who did not sign this petition), the tuition hike of this magnitude, is putting our families into a financial strain. This is especially true since many parents either already have more than one child at Mazel or will soon enroll other children in the school. Mazel has marketed itself as a low cost, high standard academic institution, and so far it was able to live up to the standard. However, the implemented tuition increase is putting it on a par with, and even makes it more expensive, than other competitive small private schools that target similar population. For instance, Bambi tuition is $750/month and Prospect Park yeshiva is $800/month (with tuition cost including some other offerings for which Mazel students pay separately). Mazel's program is unique and thus it is understandable why Mazel may be a bit more expensive, however, the above-mentioned schools are also known for a strong educational program and a sense of community affiliation. Not only the above-mentioned schools are more affordable, but they also have a tuition hike cap. Prospect Park raises their tuition about $200 per annum (2.5%), Sanesh increases 5% per annum; most of universities have a cap as well and guarantee on average that tuition will not increase by more than 4% per annum. It is extremely difficult for families, whose children are in the middle of elementary school, to afford a hike. At that point in time there are very limited alternatives and transferring to another school is often difficult. Therefore, the tuition contract needs to include a provision limiting the school’s ability to increase tuition at an infinite rate, providing for a cap that both parties find acceptable. A tuition cap will allow families to better assess the affordability of Mazel for their families and plan accordingly. Not to mention the distressed condition of our economy and uncertainty around employment and inflation. As a result of the above, we would like to have a meeting with the Board of Directors and Mr.& Mrs. Okonov to address the following: • Understand the school’s revenues and expenses; compare Mazel’s cost structure to other schools (rationale that was used by the Board in coming up with an 18% increase). • Possibility of lowering tuition, at least for students who are already enrolled in Mazel. • Adding a few extra students to Kindergarten and 1st grades to lower tuition per student (consider other grades as well, if necessary or possible). • Adding a tuition hike cap to the agreement, to guarantee that tuition will not go up by more than 3-5% per annum, a rate comparable to other schools. • Evaluating the need to pursue two separate goals at the same time: 1) adding pre-Nursery classes and 2) developing middle school. Sincerely, Mazel Parents