The Foreign Service Journal, June 2008

J U N E 2 0 0 8 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 71 S CHOOLS S UPPLEMENT E mployees of government agencies assigned overseas are granted allowances to help defray the cost of an education for their children in kindergarten through 12th grade, one that is equivalent to that provided by public school systems in the United States. In most cases, posts abroad are served by one or more English-language schools with an American curriculum. The majority of these are nongovern- mental, nonprofit, nondenominational, independent schools, usually with a board of directors establishing policy and a superintendent, headmaster or principal as the senior administrator. Even though these schools may be called American, they are not entities of the U.S. government. Some receive government grants for specific purpos- es, but these grants represent a small percentage of the overall budget. Children of many nationalities attend these schools, including, in most schools, a significant per- centage of host-country students. The allowances for a specific post are determined by the fees charged by a school identified as providing a basic U.S.-type edu- cation. Parents may use this allowance to send their children to a different school of their choice, say a parochial or foreign-language institution, as long as the cost does not exceed that of the “base” school. If the alternative school is more expensive than the “base” model, the difference would be an out-of- pocket expense for the parent. An allowance covers only expenses for those services usually available with- out cost in American public schools, including tuition, transportation and text- books. Fees for lunches, trips, computers and school uniforms are not covered, even if required by the school. Parents may also elect to homeschool their children while at post, using a home study program. They From the June 2007 Schools Supplement The ABCs of Education Allowances By Pamela Ward The allowances for a specific post are determined by the fees charged by a school identified as providing a basic U.S.-type education. Continued on page 72