Variable Tuition for Financial Need

Any currently enrolled student or new applicants for admission to Liberty Christian School can apply for Variable Tuition. If currently enrolled, tuition accounts must be current and in good standing. Generally, need-based aid will be allocated to current families first. Current students returning for the following school year who have applied by the appropriate deadlines and whose family has a clear, agreed-upon tuition plan in place with Liberty Christian School, will be awarded first. If funds are available, newly accepted students, who meet the appropriate application deadlines, will be allocated next. It is crucial that any applicants meet the appropriate deadlines.

First, consider the total annual cost of a Liberty Christian School education. Tuition Rates can be found on the school website. The annual tuition does not take into account any fees, which are separate from tuition. 

Then, calculate your ability to afford this cost. Consider all sources of income, adjust priorities and spending as able, and review assets available for use (including any external sources of funding, whether support from relatives or from an outside scholarship). Liberty Christian School expects families to review carefully their discretionary spending (e.g., expenses for clothing, vacations or vehicles) and make reachable adjustments in their lifestyle in order for their child to qualify for need-based aid.

If, after this analysis, you believe you cannot cover all of the educational expenses, we encourage you to apply for variable tuition. Part of the Variable Tuition Committee’s review of applications for need-based assistance will include a thorough consideration of each family’s financial choices with regard to discretionary income. If Liberty Christian School’s Variable Tuition Committee believes these choices are not in keeping with making Liberty Christian School a financial priority for tuition, the Variable Tuition Committee reserves the right to refuse to provide an award or decrease the amount of an award based on such an application. 

No. Liberty Christian School’s Admissions Committee reviews each applicant’s admission portfolio “need blind.” The Admissions Committee does not consider whether or not someone has applied for need-based assistance or the level of need-based aid needed as part of its admissions review and decision-making process.

No, you cannot file a FAST application on paper. All FAST (Financial Assistance for School Tuition) applications must be submitted online. Please contact TuitionAssistance@mylcs.com for the application link. The FAST application is available in English, Spanish or French. 

Unfortunately, no, Liberty Christian School does not offer a sibling discount. The school incurs costs to educate every student, in terms of time and resources. If the cost of sending multiple children to Liberty Christian School at the same time presents a financial challenge to your family, please apply for Variable Tuition. 

Liberty Christian School utilizes FAST (an online service) in calculating the level of demonstrated need of each applicant for need-based assistance who has completed a Variable Tuition application and submitted the appropriate supporting financial documentation.

Calculation of demonstrated need considers gross income, nontaxable income, assets, liabilities, family size, number of children in tuition-paying schools and situations where the income level does not support the spending level, among other items. Included in this calculation is an allowance for basic living expenses and taxes paid both to the federal government and your respective state government. Liberty Christian School’s Variable Tuition Committee carefully considers the analysis provided by FAST; all need-based award decisions are made solely by Liberty Christian School’s Variable Tuition Committee.

1. A complete copy of your 2018 FEDERAL and STATE tax returns including all related schedules (e.g., Schedule A, C and E), and, if applicable, business tax returns, including K-1s, Form 1065, Form 1120 and Form 1120S 
2. A copy of all your related 2018 W2 and/or 1099 for all jobs worked
3. Two most-recent paystubs for all jobs worked in 2018. If you are receiving Social Security, unemployment or disability compensation you will need to submit a copy of the two most recent stubs
4. A copy of your most recent mortgage statement, home equity statement or rental agreement
5. Support documentation for receipt of SNAP or Section 8 housing assistance
6. Documentation regarding child support – court documents or cancelled check copy
7. MAY WANT TO CONSIDER ADDING IRS Form 4506-T-Request for Transcript of Tax Return

These documents will be needed for all adults in the household. All required documentation must be submitted directly to FAST so that FAST receives on time. Complying with this request allows Liberty Christian School the ability to review all Variable Tuition applications in a timely manner and provide the notification of an award, if applicable, at the time of acceptance. Upon our review of your application, we may request additional documents. 

You will be using your 2020 tax returns and accompanying schedules and forms, which are the most recently available. 

If you have children who attend another K‐12 school that charges tuition, the cost of their education is considered as part of the Liberty Christian School’s review of your situation. If you are applying for aid from Liberty Christian School, we expect you to apply for need-based financial assistance at all schools, if the school has such a program. In situations where one of the schools does not have a Tuition Assistance program, a note should be included with the FAST application explaining that.

Regardless of marital status, Liberty Christian School does consider both biological parents, whether custodial or non-custodial, as responsible for their child’s education. Therefore, Liberty Christian School now requires both biological parents, whether custodial or non-custodial, to complete the FAST tuition assistance application. If the biological parents of the student are in the process of a divorce or separation which has yet to be finalized, both biological parents are responsible for the tuition of their child (or children).

1. Liberty Christian School’s Variable Tuition Committee requires a copy be supplied of the relevant section of the divorce decree (as amended and currently in force) which stipulates each parent’s responsibility for payment of private tuition. Send this copy to tuitionassistance@mylcs.com by the tuition assistance filing deadline.
    
2. For the purpose of assigning variable tuition awards, in the case of divorced parents, the Variable Tuition Committee assesses each parent’s need independently of the other’s, using as the basis for the Committee’s decision the tuition-payment responsibility assigned to each parent as stipulated in the divorce decree.
    
3. In the absence of any court-approved language stipulating each parent’s respective responsibility for payment of private tuition, for the purpose of reviewing and rendering a decision on a tuition assistance application, it is the Variable Tuition Committee’s policy to assign equal responsibility to each party for determining need.
    
4. The Committee does not honor private agreements made between the divorced parents for assignment of tuition payment responsibility, nor does the Committee honor either unilateral assignment of such responsibility (unless directly assigned as such in the divorce decree) or unilateral withdrawal from such responsibility.
    
5. If both parents are seeking assistance, each parent must submit a separate FAST application. According to No. 2 above, it is possible (and indeed likely) the Committee will render a different decision for each parent, according to its assessment of need in each parent’s case. In cases of re‐marriage, all adults in each household must include and submit their financial information in the application. In the case of a step‐parent, his or her income and assets are to be included in the application and we will consider obligations a step‐parent has towards his/her own natural children.
    
6. If only one parent files a fully completed Variable Tuition application through FAST, the Variable Tuition Committee will assess need and render its decision only for that portion of the tuition which is the filing parent’s tuition-payment responsibility; the non-filing parent will be expected to pay his or her portion of tuition in its entirety. A parent’s refusal to complete the FAST application and provide all required supporting documentation may jeopardize the student’s ability to receive aid.

Liberty Christian School understands that some family situations can be very difficult. In a case where a parent cannot be located or is completely absent, an official letter must be submitted to Liberty Christian School by an attorney confirming that the other biological parent cannot be located, is absent or refuses to participate in any aspects of his or her child’s life. The letter writer cannot be a relative of the applicant nor can the letter writer be a current Liberty Christian School employee. The letter must state the following, as applicable: 

1. The whereabouts of the other biological parent is unknown. 
2. The other biological parent has provided no support and has had no contact with the family for at least the past three years. 
3. It is in the family’s best interest not to have further contact with the other biological parent. 
4. Any other extenuating circumstances that the individual believes the School should consider. 

The parent must also provide a signed affidavit of fact stating and answering the above questions.
Both letters should be submitted directly to the VP – Operations, by the appropriate filing deadline to the following address:

Liberty Christian School
ATTN: Vice President – Operations
1301 S. Hwy. 377
Argyle, TX 76226

If information comes to the attention of Liberty Christian School that a parent who was previously declared as "non-involved" in the child’s education life is, in fact, involved in that child’s life (e.g., attends school functions, makes tuition payments, picks up the child after school or from school-sponsored events, listed as an emergency contact on the application form, etc.), Liberty Christian School will make reasonable attempts to contact that parent and have that parent complete the FAST application and provide the required financial documentation. If that parent refuses to comply, Liberty Christian School reserves the right to adjust, alter or reconsider the financial award based on the information provided to or not provided to Liberty Christian School. 

When one or both parents are choosing not to work, unless an appropriate reason is provided (other children are younger than Kindergarten age or there are special needs children at home, health issues or care for a relative who may be in medical distress), an income of $15,000 will be added for each parent in FAST’s calculation. This is roughly equivalent to working a part-time, 30-hours-per-week job at the state of Texas minimum wage.

Liberty Christian School requires you to submit additional documentation with your application, including your Federal business tax returns (K-1s, Form 1065, Form 1120 and Form 1120S). After the Variable Tuition Committee reviews these documents, it may request additional documents to verify your family’s financial situation.

While Liberty Christian School does provide a generous amount of need-based aid on an annual basis, it does not have the capacity to meet the demonstrated need of all applicants for need-based aid. In many cases, that means that Liberty Christian School will provide an award that gets as close to demonstrated need as Liberty Christian School’s resources allow.

Liberty Christian School does not have the resources to support a student for the full cost of tuition. As noted previously, we expect each family to be able to contribute even a modest amount towards tuition. In cases where the FAST analysis and our review suggests that a family has a level of need where the family cannot reasonably contribute the requisite minimum, Liberty Christian School does not have the resources to meet the family’s need and the family will not be offered a need-based award.

Variable Tuition is awarded on an annual basis and each family must reapply every year. While there is no guarantee you will be granted a similar award for each successive year, you can assume that you may receive a similar award, if your family’s financial picture remains similar for the next award cycle. Should your family’s financial situation change significantly, the Variable Tuition Committee may reevaluate your award accordingly. Payments received in excess of the full tuition obligation may result in an adjustment to your tuition assistance award or may be applied to future tuition obligations, to be determined by the school at its sole discretion.

We understand that sometimes a family’s financial situation can change unexpectedly. While funds are more limited for these types of grants, we encourage you to apply if needed. When applying late, please notify tuitionassistance@mylcs.com that you are submitting an application. Additionally, we encourage you to contact the Business Office to discuss your situation and explore possible alternative solutions for the payment of tuition.

Liberty Christian School does not stop families from submitting a FAST application after the deadline, but our prior experience indicates that it is highly unlikely that we will be able to offer any need-based award to late applicants who do not meet the Dec. 30 deadline for currently enrolled Liberty Christian School students. We allocate need-based assistance awards towards meeting as much of the demonstrated need as possible for families who apply by the filing deadline. In the case of families who apply after the deadline, we encourage families to pay all required tuition payments pending notification of awards, in case sufficient need-based aid is not available.

A Variable Tuition application will only be considered if it has been filled out completely and all requested documents have been submitted by the heretofore mentioned deadlines. For those students who receive a favorable admission decision, a decision letter will be sent to you with your child’s acceptance letter, provided that you submit your FAST application by the deadline and FAST receives all supporting financial information on time.

You may appeal the decision if your financial situation has changed or you believe the Variable Tuition committee may have misunderstood your current situation. In such cases, you may be asked for additional documentation. Please contact tuitionassistance@mylcs.com for instructions about how to submit an appeal.

No. Variable Tuition is a grant, not a loan. Through the generosity of many benefactors – loyal alumni, current parents, past parents and other supporters – Liberty Christian School continues to be able to make a Christ-centered, college preparatory education affordable and accessible to students of diverse backgrounds and means.

Liberty Christian School assumes that all information provided in FAST Variable Tuition application is truthful and accurate; the parent(s) signature(s) on the FAST form affirms that this is the case. In addition, all families are required each year to submit a signed, undated Form 4506-T with their other supporting documentation, which permits Liberty Christian School to request a transcript of the tax returns directly from the IRS if the Variable Tuition Committee has any reason to doubt the accuracy of the information submitted on the FAST application. If the Variable Tuition Committee discovers that any information is deliberately misleading, false or grossly inaccurate, Liberty Christian School may reject the application, and refuse to consider aid applications submitted in any subsequent years for the student (or for any siblings) registered at Liberty Christian School. In addition, if Liberty Christian School believes that the information provided to the Internal Revenue Service is fraudulent or misleading, the School reserves the right to refuse to consider an application for need-based tuition assistance.

Liberty Christian School takes seriously its responsibility to maintain confidentiality over all information and records. Please redact any social security numbers listed on your supporting documents when you scan or mail your documents to FAST. The only document on which you must provide a Social Security Number is Form 4506-T. Liberty Christian School must comply with any legal requests from courts or attorneys to provide documents. Parents are expected to keep their tuition assistance awards confidential and not discuss them with other families or teachers.