ISM Labshop · a working session for school leaders
The 2027–28 Tuition Decision
Set next year’s tuition in one afternoon. Bring your numbers, build your model with us, and leave with a tuition recommendation you can defend to your board.
Reserve your school’s placeSomewhere between your November budget meeting and the re-enrollment letter sent to families in January, a new tuition is decided. Usually it’s last year’s, plus an increase. Usually someone from your team has to stand in front of the school board to defend the number — without ever seeing how other choices would have affected your reserves.
The Tuition Decision Labshop is one afternoon built to change that. You bring your past numbers. You build a financial model for your school with help from ISM consultant (and company president) Terry Moore, working alongside a cohort of peer leaders. You leave with a tuition number you can defend, the case for it already written, and a way to find out what parents at your school think about value before the letter goes out.
- 01
Bring your past numbers
- 02
Build your model
- 03
Leave with a number you can defend
Why now
Most boards set tuition in December or January. The re-enrollment letters go out to families after the winter break. Right now, as you read this, you’re left with about six weeks (or less) to figure out next year’s tuition model. In most schools, that time is already dedicated to making many other decisions while prepping for winter break. This Labshop will help you set that all-important number.
If you attend the November 19 or December 3 Labshop, you’ll have a tuition model and talking points in your hands before most finance committees meet. The December 14 session will address boards that vote in January.
What you accomplish
A working tuition model, built on your numbers
Here’s how you’ll get there: We’ll demonstrate our method, using a sample school first, so everyone learns the tool the same way. Then, in breakout rooms, you’ll use your school data to build your tuition model. Finally, we’ll work through various scenarios; you’ll see how each scenario affects your net tuition revenue, hard income coverage, and reserves before a final decision needs to be made.
Talking points to defend your tuition recommendation
You leave with the reasoning behind your number, the scenarios you’ve examined in the Labshop, and answers to the questions your finance committee is going to ask. (We’ve sat in those meetings for 50 years — we know what to expect!)
A clear read on what your parents think
ISM’s research shows parents respond to perceived value, not to the size of the increase. If you already have parent survey results, bring them. If not, we will show you how to conduct a two-question pulse of your parent community, our Net Promoter Score survey; you run it the week after and bring the results to “office hours.”
How to participate
- 01Register your school. Choose your date; you can add a second attendee if you want one. You’ll pay at registration (or you can request an invoice).
- 02Gather the info you’ll need to participate in advance. We’ll send a list of what to bring and the data to prepare: your enrollment history, current-year budget, financial aid as a share of gross, salary assumption. You’ll need to have these numbers immediately at the ready during our session. If you have recent parent survey results, bring those too. This is optional, but useful.
- 03Time commitment. This is a one-day, 2.5-hour live session; you’ll be on with up to 29 participants from other schools. Cameras and microphones on, each attendee on their own computer. About 35 minutes of teaching, then breakout rooms to work on your school, then you prepare for various scenarios.
- 04Run the parent survey. With the material we give you in the session.
- 05Come to “office hours.” Following each Labshop, you’ll join an additional 90-minute live session, where you’ll discuss your model and survey results. Bring your tuition model and your survey results.
Who should attend
The people who own the tuition decision. This might include the head of school, business officer or CFO, associate heads or division directors, director of admission/enrollment, and the finance committee chair. Complete one registration per school — if you plan to include a second attendee, add them to your registration. Two attendees is the maximum, and each person needs their own computer.
What is a Labshop?
ISM created our Labshops to combine the best features of a lab and a workshop in one sitting: the lab, because you work on your own school’s data; the workshop, because you build something and take it with you. An ISM consultant works with you as a thought partner at the table rather than a lecturer at the front of the room. Do it yourself. Not by yourself. You arrive with next year’s question and leave with an answer.
Your Labshop leader
Terry Moore
ISM President & CEO and a senior executive consultant. He has advised independent schools on finance and governance for more than 20 years and leads ISM’s highly anticipated annual tuition webinar.
Investment
per school
per school
members and nonmembers
Payment due at registration; invoicing available on request. Nonmember schools that attend will receive an invitation to join ISM at the Silver level, with $750 of their Labshop registration fee credited toward first-year dues.
FAQ
Do I need to survey parents before I come?
It’s optional. If you have recent parent survey results, bring them; they will sharpen your model. If you don’t, we will provide information about the Net Promoter Score survey. You will conduct that with your parents and bring the results to “office hours.”
Is the annual tuition webinar still happening?
Yes. It will run as a free, prerecorded session. The date will be announced. The webinar examines how tuition decisions are made. The Labshop is where you will set your tuition for the coming year.
Can two people from my school attend?
Yes, and we recommend it. Add a second attendee at registration. Each person needs their own computer; this is a working session, not something to watch from a conference room.
Is it recorded?
No. The session and “office hours” are live and unrecorded.
Can my school be invoiced?
Yes. Choose “Invoice” at registration, and ISM’s business office will send the invoice via email.
What time zone?
1:30 p.m. Eastern, which is 10:30 a.m. Pacific.
What do I need to have ready?
In short: three to five years of enrollment data, this year’s budget, financial aid as a share of gross, and the salary increase you are considering. We’ll send you a list of requirements after you complete registration.