The Foreign Service Journal, December 2009

92 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 9 S CHOOLS S UPPLEMENT lump sum, varying from post to post, is allotted to cover the estimated cost of tuition, room, board and travel to post during school vacations. Parents are free to choose the boarding school they prefer. There is no special fund- ing for parents or students to visit schools in advance of application or for an interview, even if one is required. The allowance will not be paid for a child to attend a school in the United States if there is a parent (natural, adoptive or step) residing in the U.S. because the assumption in that case is that the child could attend a public school. The U.S. government does not pro- vide an allowance for college or other post-secondary education. However, one round trip per year to post is pro- vided for students studying at universi- ties in the U.S. In 2006, Congress amended the statute to also provide this allowance for students studying at universities abroad. Also allowed is the shipment of 250 pounds of unac- companied air baggage or the equiva- lent cost in storage for each college or boarding school student. All funding for education is processed by the financial manage- ment officer at the post where the employee is assigned. At some posts the embassy or consulate works very closely with the school or schools, and the billing is handled directly. In other instances, the employee will pay a school fee, or pay for an airline ticket or storage, and then submit bills to the FMO for reimbursement. Although a student may start school at the begin- ning of a semester if a parent has been officially assigned to a post, the parent may not be reimbursed for any school expenses until he or she arrives at post. There are several offices in the Department of State prepared to help you understand how the educational allowances work, and what choices you have for your children. These in- clude the Office of Overseas Schools (www.state.gov/m/a/os ), the Office of Allowances (http://aoprals.state.gov) and the Family Liaison Office (www. state.gov/m/dghr/flo/c1958.htm). We hope that you will get in touch with us if you have any questions about your situation. Although these offices are part of the Department of State, the same allowances apply to most civilian federal employees under chief-of-mis- sion authority overseas. For informa- tion or assistance, e-mail FLOAsk Education@state.gov or call (202) 647-1076. ■ Pamela Ward is a regional education officer in the State Department’s Office of Overseas Schools. She served previously as the education and youth officer in the Family Liaison Office. Her article, originally published in the June 2007 FSJ, has been updated to reflect developments since then.