Introduction
A fundamental goal at Hausner is to provide all families in the community, regardless of financial means, the opportunity to send their child(ren) to our school. Therefore, while parents are expected to contribute toward the tuition cost to the extent they are financially able, the school encourages all families to apply.

Currently, the Board of Directors sets aside up to 10% of the expected tuition revenue for financial assistance in the form of grants and loans. A Financial Assistance Committee designated by the Board of Directors distributes the funds based on applications received by the deadlines. The majority of assistance decisions are made each spring for the following school year.

1. Guidelines for Families - Should we apply? Would we qualify?

There is no specific income level above which a family no longer qualifies for financial assistance at Hausner. The considerations in the evaluation of requests are:

1. Income earned from all sources
2. Number of children in the family
3. Number of children in the family attending Hausner or other private schools
4. Specific family circumstances

Hausner does not limit the amount of assistance by gender or grade level.

Financial assistance is generally awarded in the form of a grant. In a few cases assistance may be in the form of a non-interest bearing loan.

The maximum award level is 75% of a full tuition per child.

To be able to assess financial need on an equitable basis, parents are asked to complete the following:

a.

An application from a national service called "School and Student Service for Financial Aid" (SSS). SSS analyzes the financial need of applicants for independent schools, colleges and universities across the country. The SSS application asks for information about family composition, current and expected income, expenses, assets and debts as well as unusual family circumstances and expenses. SSS then applies a standard methodology to assess the financial resources a family has to contribute toward a child's educational expenses. Their methodology results in a suggested Parental Contribution toward tuition. Because Hausner realizes that the cost of living in the Bay Area is substantially higher than other U.S. regions, the Financial Assistance Committee uses the Parental Contribution figures provided by SSS as a basis for decision-making, not the final decision.

b.

In addition to completing the SSS application form, applicants are asked to submit directly to the Financial Assistance Committee the following documents: Copy of the SSS Parent Financial Statement which was sent to New Jersey The Separated/Divorced Statement, and/or Business/Farm Statement, if applicable Copy of 2007 federal 1040 tax return, with all supporting schedules Copy of 2007 W-2 and/or 1099 tax forms Most recent pay stubs from both parents, if working Signed copy of IRS form 4506

a.	Complete the SSS application, make a copy for the school, and send the original directly to Princeton, New Jersey.
b.	Send the school a copy of the SSS form along with a copy of the 2007 federal 1040 tax return, including all supporting schedules, W-2/1099 information and most recent pay stubs to the school's Financial Assistance Committee (do not send your tax return to SSS).
c.	Please feel free to send any additional information you would like the Financial Assistance Committee to have regarding your family's extenuating circumstances and financial situation.

The Financial Assistance Committee will not make a decision about your request until it has received a copy of your completed application and all the required supporting material.

The Financial Assistance Committee is comprised of two non-parent Board members, appointed by the Board President, and a financial aid coordinator. The Head of School is not involved in the review of applications or decisions, and no staff member other than the Financial Assistance Coordinator has access to this confidential information.

This committee understands the supreme importance of confidentiality regarding all information provided to it. No information or decisions are shared with anyone outside of the committee.

Hausner also expects parents to adhere to this confidentiality. Any discussion of the identity of aid recipients or the amount of assistance received among parents or staff is highly inappropriate and may result in revocation of an award.

Applications for financial assistance are evaluated (based on the guidelines mentioned in #1 above) by the Financial Assistance Committee several times during the school year. The first round of evaluations generally occurs in mid-February to address requests from returning families for the following school year. After awards for returning families are determined, the Financial Assistance Committee will review new applications from families currently at the school and from newly accepted families. Subsequent requests for assistance will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis until the financial assistance budget is expended. Applicants may appeal with cause the initial decision by the committee.

There are no additional requests made of families who receive financial assistance. All Hausner families are expected to provide service in the form of Ruach Hours and assistance in the school's fundraising activities.

Furthermore, all Hausner students are expected to meet the same standards of academic performance and behavior as outlined in the Parent Handbook.

First priority is to allocate aid funds to returning students, and unless a family's financial circumstances change dramatically, a family can expect Hausner’s commitment to continue as their child(ren) matriculates through the Hausner program. However, the school does require that families reapply for assistance each school year because of the possibility of change in a family's situation.

The resources of the child's parent(s) will be considered, as well as their current family situation. The final determination of a family's ability to pay is based on financial need, not willingness or unwillingness to pay.

Separated or divorced parents will each be asked to complete the SSS application form if joint custody is in place; otherwise, the non-custodial parent will complete a separate form. (Note: the requirement for information from the non-custodial parent may be waived if the whereabouts of the parent are unknown or if the parent has had no significant contact with the student for three years or more.)

Financial assistance decisions are subject to the availability of funds in the financial assistance budget and are made independently from admission decisions.