September 17, 2024:
Tips to Navigate State Payments
Education Savings Accounts, or ESAs, present an exciting opportunity for more families to afford tuition at a classical Christian school. But an important financial dimension to navigate is the potential misalignment in timing between state fund disbursement and a school’s annual budget. Last year, many schools in Florida didn’t receive an initial state payment until mid-December. As a result, some of those schools ended up closing permanently.
If your school intends to accept ESA payments for the coming year or has seen a rise in families relying on those funds, you should have a plan to ensure that delayed state payments won’t prevent you from meeting financial obligations. Join this webinar to learn best practices around receiving and managing ESA funds while keeping your operations on course.
Frank Clement
VP / Strategic Partnerships · America’s Christian Credit Union
Mr. Clement has served the banking needs of classical Christian schools at America’s Christian Credit Union since 2019. Prior to that, Mr. Clement directed strategic initiatives for the great books program at Azusa Pacific University. He and his wife live in Southern California where they homeschool their four daughters. Mr. Clement holds a B.A. in Humanities from Lee University and an M.S. in Organizational Psychology from Azusa Pacific University.
Head of School · Trinitas Christian School, Pensacola, FL
Before coming to Trinitas, Mr. Cowart served as Head of School at a classical Christian school in Tennessee. Mr. Cowart and his wife Joy have five children, all of whom attend Trinitas. The Cowarts are members of Christ Church in Pace, where James serves as a deacon. Mr. Coward holds a B.S. in Secondary Education from Pensacola Christian College and an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from University of West Florida.
Timothy Dernlan, PhD
VP, Advancement & Consulting · ACCS
Today’s Host: Dr. Timothy Dernlan earned a B.A. in Education and Communication at Purdue University, an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership at Lehigh University, and an Ed.D. (minor in Christian Theology) in Leadership Studies at Ashland University where he was named the Ashland University Outstanding Graduate of 2013. He is an experienced Christian school leader and has served in administration of three K-12 schools. Tim won several state and national wrestling titles, earned NCAA All-American honors at Purdue University, competed at the final Olympic Trials in 2000 and 2004, and was named 2008 NCAA Region II Coach-of-the-Year before turning his focus to Christian education. He has experience teaching theater, math, rhetoric, physical education, personal finance, communication, leadership, and systematic theology. Tim now serves ACCS as VP, Advancement & Consulting.