People don’t usually mind paying for things. What people dislike is paying too much for things. People who value a fancy phone will choose to fork over $1000 (the equivalent of 750 tacos) in order to have that phone. Often, people will be so eager for the product that they value that they buy that new phone even though their “old” phone is still good. Why? Because they are convinced that it is worth the cost.
But when people buy a phone, they are not actually buying a phone. No, they are buying fast access to streaming entertainment sources, a variety of communication avenues, social media options, a photo studio, a game system, a status symbol, business solutions, a home remote, and more. People don’t pay for a box made of plastic and glass; they pay for the experience facilitated by that box.
This is true for all high-dollar investments. People don’t pay for flowers for their wedding; they invest in a beautiful environment for their experience. They don’t pay for gasoline on their roadtrip; they invest in gas to get miles and miles of experience. I don’t buy books for the paper; I buy them for the knowledge, adventure, and wisdom they contain. I buy books for the experience.
Likewise, families who pay for Christian schooling are not paying for seat time and instruction. Instead, those things are a means to an end. It’s not about getting the child into a seat, but getting a biblical, thoughtful, informed worldview into the child. Yes, tuition dollars pay for salaries, insurance, facilities, technology, and a million other things. But these things are just glass and plastic. Just like smartphone-users are paying for what they can experience through their phones, Christian school families are paying for what their kids experience.
Your work is the crux of that experience. You and your courses are what make Christian schooling unique. Students can sit in desks anywhere. But they can’t get you and your class anywhere. Therefore, it is essential to make sure that you are providing the academic discipleship that these students need. Your biblically-integrated class is the experience. Your teaching and curriculum make Christian schooling worthy of its price tag. What can you do to continue to add value? Smartphones are getting updates and improvements all the time. Our classes should be too. Let me encourage you to add critical updates to your biblical integration. Many families sacrifice to pay for the cost of Christian schooling. Our job isn’t to lower the price, but to raise the value. Remember: people don’t mind paying for things if they know that it is money well spent.
Kelly,
This is an excellent post, and helpful encouragement in my area. It reminded me of one of the slides (below) from the Tuition-setting presentation I did a few years ago. I will save this post for future reference. As always, thank you for “spurring us on to love and good deeds.”
Susie
Economics 101: Is the Cost Worth the Benefit?
TKA leadership must look closely at products and processes. We must
carefully, prudently manage the tuition dollars that parents have
entrusted to us. We must be convinced that the product is excellent!
It is mission-focused, and worth the price!
Then, we “must educate parents about the mission-consistent
excellence of the education we deliver. If we are not validating this excellence
(or, worse, if your school’s education is not worth your price), expect tuition
to be a continuing concern of our clients.”
We then “set tuition by what it takes to educate the students, rather than
determining parents’ willingness to pay.”
Thanks so much for this thoughtful reply, Susie! I remember that presentation (or another one that you did in a similar vein). It has helped me have framework for thinking through the cost/value of Christian schooling for several years now. I probably could have cited you or given you a shout-out in the post 🙂 Thanks for your encouragement. And for helping me think through these issues.