Though many question a private school’s vulnerability to the unstable economy, the national crisis is in fact affecting almost every aspect of American life.
Both public and private schools have suffered from significant budget cuts.
“I think the economy has affected everyone. We certainly are no exception . . . The economy has played an effect in our overall enrollment, which is down, and that is indicative of schools across the country,” says Ms. Joyce Balak, Director of Admissions and Financial Aid.Laguna Blanca is one of the few fortunate institutions that aren’t juggling impromptu budget cutbacks, but administrators are still taking the nation’s limited resources into account.
“We are planning ahead for the future, not knowing when this might end . . . I don’t think we were ever wasteful, but we might not be as risky on something that might not have an assured payoff down the road,” said Mr. Tyler Hodges.
In the meantime, Laguna is monitoring its finances.
Generous donations of outside funds allowed costly projects, such as the introduction of WiFi on campus to be realized.
The affect of the economy on Laguna families has caught the attention of the admissions office.
“Current families, who have not asked for any assistance in the past, have done so.
We’ve seen a bit of a rise in requests for financial assistance. Laguna, as with most independent schools, has a limited financial aid budget,” explains Ms. Joyce Balak.
In light of these recent changes, the administration has used this opportunity to augment the caliber of Laguna’s student body by increasing the selectivity of the admissions process, in order to recruit students who are passionate about their academic careers.
“The school has just taken a hard look at the school that we want to be . . . And, we don’t want to sacrifice quality in order to fill seats.”