The Foreign Service Journal, June 2017

74 JUNE 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT Marybeth Hunter is the educa- tion and youth officer in the State Department’s Family Liaison Office. M any Foreign Service parents spend an enormous amount of time deter- mining which posts have the best schools for their children. These are delicate decisions that have a large impact on family life. We hope this article will help inform families about school options, as well as the rules and regulations that govern the particulars of both school selection and cost reimbursement. Parents serving overseas may be eli- gible to receive an education allowance to help cover the cost of their children’s education. The education allowance is designed to assist in defraying educa- an education allowance under the Department of State Standardized Regu- lations, Section 270. All federal govern- ment agencies follow these regulations, although each agency may have its own supplemental regulations that further clarify or restrict the allowance. FLO: How is “at post” education allow- ance for the school year determined? Why is the “at post” allowance for many posts listed as $150? ALLOWANCES: The Office of Over- seas Schools (OS), one of our sister offices in the Bureau of Administration, first determines if there is at least one school at post that offers education reasonably comparable to U.S. public schools. If so, OS will designate the least expensive adequate school as the base school. Usually, this base school is a private school. Then, Allowances establishes an “at post” education allowance rate, deter- tion costs at post that would normally be provided free of charge by public schools in the United States. Think about what is normally pro- vided in a public school in America, and this will give you a reasonably accurate idea of what you can expect to have reimbursed under the education allow- ance. Tuition and books, yes. Afterschool activities or band instruments, no. To understand a bit more about education allowances, and to find out about recent allowance updates, the Family Liaison Office spoke with the Department of State’s Office of Allow- ances (referred to as “Allowances” for the purpose of this article). FLO: Which government employees are eligible for an education allowance? Do all agencies follow the Department of State education allowance regulations? ALLOWANCES : Any U.S. direct-hire employee serving overseas with school- aged children may be eligible to receive An understanding of education allowances is crucial for Foreign Service families. Here is an introduction. BY MARYBETH HUNTER Facts and Updates: Making Sense of the Department of State Education Allowance Continued on page 78