Delinquent Tuition Policy

1. The St. Matthew School Board, charged with maintaining the financial stability of St. Matthew School, shall set dates on which payment tuition is due.

2. The principal, as the administrator of St. Matthew School, shall provide parents with written notice of the dates on which payment is due.

3. Because budgetary calculations are closely tied to anticipated enrollment figures, it is imperative that any parent who anticipates difficulty in meeting payment deadlines informs the principal immediately so that alternative payment dates can be arranged.

4. Ten days after the payment due date, a written notice shall be sent to the parent(s) of any student for whom tuition remains outstanding, and for whom alternative payment dates have not been set, that payment is late and should be remitted.

5. Thirty days after the payment due date, a second written notice shall be sent. Balances that remain after 45 days will be submitted to the St. Matthew Tuition Review Panel, unless an alternative payment schedule has been set with the principal and/or pastor.

6. The St. Matthew School Tuition Review Panel shall consist of the pastor, or his priest delegate, the principal, and at the discretion of the pastor, may include one or more members of the school board.

7. In order for the panel to evaluate legitimate cases of economic hardship and to attempt to distinguish between ability to pay and unwillingness to pay, the parent of those students for whom payment is delinquent may be asked to provide information that would justify the outstanding charges.

8. If the Tuition Review Panel determines that without payment of the delinquent balance, enrollment should be terminated, this may be implemented only at the end of the current marking period.  No student will be suspended or expelled from school during the course of the current marking period because of parental unwillingness to pay tuition or fees.  Under no circumstances would report cards or other student records be withheld or in any way used for the enforcement of tuition or fee collections.

9. The ongoing accrual of delinquent tuition or late payments may result in, but not limited to, the student's non participation in school activities such as field trips, graduation trips and ceremonies.

10. No student will be allowed to enroll in a new school year if tuition remains outstanding from any prior year.

11. The decision of the Tuition Review Panel is final.