Faculty Interest Committee (FIC)<\/a>. The FIC plays a crucial role in advocating for fair compensation and benefits, ensuring that faculty members are recognized for their contributions to the school community. The FIC made its presence especially visible as it negotiated a new contract with the administration, with faculty members wearing buttons to demonstrate solidarity. The agreement was ultimately approved with overwhelming support from union members, reinforcing the strength and unity of Fieldston\u2019s faculty. In determining salaries, the school benchmarks salaries against peer institutions and aims to be a market leader in teacher pay. Next year, faculty salaries will range from $73,069 to $177,505, with the average full-time faculty salary, including base pay and stipends, at $131,708. <\/p>\n\n\n\nAs Wilkie-Glass put it, \u201cWe invest in great teachers, and that\u2019s the important thing that I think we also included in that message, is that we wanna make sure that we are compensating the talent in the classroom with our kids, the folks who are behind the educational program, and the folks who are really making the magic happen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Financial Aid and Affordability<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nWilkie-Glass recognizes that affordability is a growing concern in New York City\u2019s independent school landscape. Financial aid increases yearly at the same rate as tuition to ensure existing aid recipients are not priced out. According to Director of Financial Aid Victoria Daley, currently 22% of students at Fieldston receive financial aid. While the exact figure for the 2025-26 school year has yet to be determined, it is expected to see a slight increase. Wilkie-Glass explained that the school\u2019s goal is to ensure \u201cWhen somebody comes here, whether it\u2019s in Pre-K, Kindergarten, sixth grade, or ninth grade, we want to bring them here and make it a 14-year experience\u201313, 12, 10, four\u2013however long it is\u2013and give people the security that they will be able to financially afford the school.\u201d He added, \u201cAffordability is a huge issue with independent tuition in New York City and beyond. And what we see our financial aid pool do is drive socio-economic diversity, which has obvious and clear links to racial-ethnic diversity across the city as well.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other Key Budget Priorities<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- Healthcare Costs<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
The school covers about 80% of employee healthcare costs, demonstrating its commitment to supporting faculty and staff well-being. Despite the rising costs of healthcare in recent years, the school\u2019s continued investment in employee benefits highlights its dedication to ensuring that faculty members have access to essential medical care without an overwhelming financial burden. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Facilities and Infrastructure<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
Maintaining Fieldston\u2019s aging but beautiful campus requires constant investment in renovations, brickwork and utilities. A harsh winter can drive up costs due to increased heating and maintenance needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Technology and Clubs<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
Club funding is included in the student activities budget, while technology investments fall into two categories: capitalized (large equipment purchases) and non-capitalized (software and operational expenses). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Endowment and Revenue<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
The school has a $125 million endowment, with about 5% used annually to support programs. The Orange Fund is Fieldston\u2019s primary annual fundraising initiative, designed to sustain and enhance the school\u2019s progressive pedagogy. Supporting areas such as financial aid, faculty development, education technology, athletics and the arts, the fund ensures that every student, regardless of financial background, can access the full Fieldston experience. By investing in curriculum innovation and co-curricular activities, the Orange Fund strengthens the school\u2019s commitment to academic excellence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Future Expansion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nOne of the most exciting budget priorities is a planned expansion of the school\u2019s science and innovation facilities. While details are still being finalized, the school is considering renovating existing spaces or constructing a new building entirely. Such a project would require investments in faculty, utilities and equipment but would enhance students\u2019 STEM learning experiences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Looking Ahead<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nAccording to Wilkie-Glass, Fieldston is in one of its strongest financial positions in years, thanks to responsible budgeting and strong community support. With tuition covering most operating costs, the school is working to balance affordability with the need to maintain high-quality education, competitive faculty salaries and modernized facilities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Every year, Fieldston undergoes an extensive budgeting process to plan for the upcoming school year. With tuition for 2025-26 set at a steep $68,162, many parents and students may wonder: where does all this money go? To help clarify where these funds are directed, we sat down with Fieldston\u2019s Chief Executive Officer, Kyle Wilkie-Glass, to break down how the school allocates its budget, from faculty salaries and financial aid to infrastructure and future expansion plans. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":358,"featured_media":11629,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[347,318],"tags":[],"coauthors":[511,429],"class_list":["post-11627","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Screenshot-2025-04-29-at-12.55.33-PM-e1745945773345.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11627","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/358"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11627"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11627\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11649,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11627\/revisions\/11649"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11629"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11627"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11627"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11627"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=11627"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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